We're Only Human
by sweetklausoline
Summary: What happens when Esther is successful in turning the Original vampires and, unexpectedly, every vampire human? This sudden change affects all of the local vampires more than anyone could have ever imagined as they give in to unwanted desires and delve deep into their new found humanity. The story begins at 3x15 (Mostly Klaus/Caroline/Stefan, other ships are explored as well).
1. Prologue: When Darkness Falls

**Hope you guys like this. This story idea has been banging around in my head for awhile. I'm unsure exactly where it's going to go or how long it will be. I should finish this before the end of November (I'm using this for my NaNoWriMo submission). So expect frequent updates. Hope you enjoy.**

**AN: I just want to state for the record .. that this is mainly a Klefaroline story with other ships thrown into the mix. So there will be both Klaroline AND Steroline in this. only lets me choose two names for this ... so shoot me. I will let you know that I will keep you guessing until the end on who Caroline picks. So don't think this is strictly a Klaroline fic just because I have chosen those two to define the story. Thank you and enjoy.**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own The Vampire Diaries, and I have no rights to any of it.

_Prologue: When Darkness Falls_

He was running through the woods as fast as he could, dodging tree limbs and jumping over bushes, his undead heart keeping pace for the first time in years. His brothers were lagging, but behind him nonetheless. He knew he was faster and it didn't matter who got there first as long as someone just got there in time._ She will not play these games with me,_he silently screamed as he reached out and slashed a passing tree, sending it's trunk up in splinters.

Through the trees he saw the hint of fire and he growled as he burst through the edge of the forest immediately taking a defensive stance. His eyes widened as he saw the display in front of him.

His mother and his brother. Standing in a large pentagram made of salt. Pillars of fire surrounding them.

His eyes moved back and forth between his sibling's and his own mother's as he paced back and forth, unable to contain his rage. Within a few seconds, he was joined by his brothers.

"My sons come forward," Esther calmly spoke, taking Finn's hand and stepping towards the center of the pentagram. Kol and Elijah cautiously joined Klaus' side, all three of them staring daggers at their traitorous family members. Kol impatiently tried to make a move towards his mother and was unable to pass through the magical barrier that separated them. The fire from the pillars rose and the ground shook.

"That's lovely. We're stuck out here while the favorite son plays sacrificial lamb," Kol spat at his deceitful brother before Klaus could get a word in and soon his siblings and mother were tossing hurtful insults back and forth. Klaus sighed annoyingly as he could not stand for this any longer.

"Enough," his booming voice shut his family members up. "End this now mother or I'll send you back to hell," Klaus narrowed his eyes as he stood right in front of his mother. He wouldn't dare show his uncertainty in front of his family, but his clenched, and shaking, fists would prove otherwise. He was hoping the Salvatore brothers were taking care of the Bennetts as the moon was seconds before reaching its apex in the sky and they wouldn't have much time left.

"If you've come to plead for your life, I'm sorry. You've wasted your time." His mother's head then quickly shot up as the clouds parted, the moon shining bright overhead. She closed her eyes and slowly began chanting.

Klaus roared an unintelligible scream, his veins popping out of his forehead._ This will not be the end of me. This will not happen. I cannot let this happen. She will never destroy me!_

"MOTHER THIS ENDS NOW!" Klaus screamed as he tried to bash his way through the barrier, the flames rising on the pillars and the ground shaking more and more with each attempt he made. _Where were those Salvatore boys?_He looked back at his brothers as they bared their fangs waiting to pounce at any given moment. Kol blurred his way around the circle sending curses towards his mother as Elijah stood very still, thinking of anything and everything they had missed or what they could have done.

"_Aufero vomica super suum pectus pectoris, addo lemma totus tergum ut satus_." Ester's chanting became louder as her body started trembling violently. Elijah, Kol, Klaus and even Finn watched as their mother's eyes turned black. She was frozen and looked to be possessed. Finn gaped with a look of horror on his face.

A black smoke slowly began seeping out of her mouth and down her body, looking for its target. Finn, despite his never-ending death wish, looked absolutely terrified. He tried to move away from the smoke, throwing his body against the invisible barrier with all of his might screaming for his brother's assistance. The smoke wrapped itself around his ankle and pulled him down to the ground. He crumbled to the dirt and began kicking at the smoke, shouting at the top of his lungs for his mother to stop. Klaus watched as the smoke encircled Finn and closed his eyes as his brother screamed in horror for the last time. The smoke poured itself into Finn's mouth, nose and ears leaving him paralyzed, unable to move or speak.

Klaus tried to say something to his mother, tried to move but he couldn't. He couldn't do anything. His chest clenched in fear as he too felt the same fear his brother had just displayed as the unseen force took hold of him, possessing him. It took all of his strength to move his eyes to where Finn was laying on the ground, but he couldn't make anything out but a black, thick cloud of death. They were all standing very still, frozen in time as their impending doom was near.

The fire on the pillars roared and the ground shook more violently than before as they all stood there, bug-eyed, waiting for whatever was coming next. To Klaus, it felt as if an eternity had passed. _This is it, this is how I am ended. _He took a deep breath, cursing himself for everything he had never done and for wasting so much time on things that didn't matter.

Then, almost as quickly as he could rip out a human heart, Klaus felt something within him snap. His chest burned like a thousand razor blades were being dragged across undead heart, the worst pain he had ever felt. He went limp, sure of his own death, the last thing he saw following him into the darkness.

All of them, including Esther, falling to the ground - _lifeless.  
__

**Review review review! **


	2. Heartbeats

**Thanks for the follows and for the reviews. I really appreciate the feedback!  
Have fun reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter. I had fun writing it. **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Vampire Diaries, and I have no rights to any of it.

_Heartbeats_

Darkness consumed his body, mind and soul. He had died before a thousand years ago, but the feeling had not been like this. The difference this time was his awareness, as if he was just sleeping - his eyes closed as if waiting to open. His first death, before becoming a vampire, had been quick like a blink of an eye. Dead and then undead, no waiting. A blink and then awake. This time, however, was a lot different, as if he was suspended in a limbo state, waiting for something to happen. Pain was nonexistent. In fact, there were no feelings at all. No terror, no fear, nothing. He wondered if this was it, this was hell. _But it couldn't be hell could it?_ He deserved more than this emptiness. He deserved to be destroyed every moment by fire and agony. He expected that with his death. He had looked forward to that occasion, if it ever came, and this was just a big disappointment. _This void of light, this darkness, this emptiness was more torture than any hell_, he grimaced, bracing himself for this eternity of nothingness.

Here, wherever this was, had no concept of time. He was unsure how long he was stuck in the black abyss of his own dark soul when he suddenly felt something. A pull, from what he thought felt like a thin string, that slowly began tugging him towards … a light perhaps? He couldn't really see it, he just felt it. Whatever it was it was far off in the distance. The pulling he felt was dragging him closer. He knew now. Hell awaited him. _This is more like it._ He had prepared for the damnation that always hovered over him as he killed and maimed for a thousand years.

As the force pulled him closer, he felt himself grow warm, very warm. Not hot, not scalding. Just warm. He hadn't felt like this in centuries. He soon became aware of his body and was able to move. He opened his eyes and saw in the not so far distance that there was indeed a light and his body was being pulled towards it. The pull he felt clenched harder onto his heart and pulled with a greater force causing this imploding feeling inside of his chest. He felt the need to gasp for air but there was none and he felt himself choking. The pulling grew stronger and the light blinded him as he was overcome and surrounded by its warmth.

Warmth suddenly replaced by pain as it felt as if every bone in his body was breaking over and over again. The warmth had turned into fire and he felt his entire body scream for relief. He growled and screamed with all of his might as his body was torn apart by an unknown force.

Then suddenly, everything went dark.

* * *

Stefan's eyes shot open as he laid on the cold hardwood floor of the old witch house, trying to focus on the blurry image of someone hovering over him. He couldn't figure out what was taking so long as he blinked over and over again, moving his fingers to the bridge of his nose. There was a ringing in his ears causing a massive pain in the back of his head. _What is going on?_ He questionly looked back at the person looking down on his and finally made out her figure. It was Bonnie and she stared at him with wide eyes and a look of panic.

"Bonnie …" he groggily spoke.

"Shhhhh. Don't. Just take your time," she placed her hand on his chest and slowly shook her head.

His whole body felt like it was on fire and he wondered what was happening to him. He felt sweat forming at the back of his neck and when he reached to wipe it off, his hand froze and his eyes met Bonnie's and she slowly just nodded. He was feeling the slow, but steady pulse of a beating heart. _What in the world?_

Damon's sudden screams upstairs startled him._ Damon._

As quick as he could, he pushed himself up despite Bonnie's attempts to stop him. His body felt weak, inept. It took longer than he expected but soon he was standing and the sudden movement made him dizzy and he reached out to Bonnie for support.

"You should be laying down …" she tried to tell him but he just ignored her and began walking towards the stairs. Bonnie helped him with each step. Halfway up the stairs he felt himself gaining control over his body and his pace quickened as he reached the top and saw Damon laying on the floor, eye wide and hyperventilating. Abby was hovering over him as well trying to calm him down. Damon's eyes met Stefan's and he breathed a sigh of relief as Damon closed his eyes mouthing, "Thank you" up to the heavens.

"You don't look so good, brother," Damon gave a small smirk, trying to sit up, but the movement caused him to vomit on the dusty floor. Stefan rushed to Damon's side to help his brother sit up. Damon reached out and placed his arm around his shoulder, leaning into his brother for support. Bonnie and Abby stood back cautiously, watching the exchange.

"Stefan … what happened?" Damon blinked a few times, placing his hand over his own chest, feeling the beat of his supposed to be dead heart. Stefan looked over at Bonnie and Abby, their eyes wide and haunting.

"I'm not sure," he helped Damon stand up, trying to keep his strength centered from fear of toppling them both over. Bonnie walked over to them, taking a deep breath and switching her gaze between the two of them. Stefan noticed she was struggling to speak and her eyes searched theirs for the proper words. Finally, with broken breath, she spoke.

"Esther was able to complete the ritual."

Stefan didn't understand and it was obvious that Damon didn't either. If Esther had completed the ritual, the Originals would be dead. Their problems solved. That's it. Done. What shouldn't have happened was this. He shouldn't be feeling as if his entire body was on fire, his whole being feeling different and foreign.

As if reading his mind, Bonnie looked down and whispered, "You're ... human now, Stefan. You both are."

That was all it took for his reality to shatter into a million pieces. Bonnie's shocking words were like a hammer to the glass house around his consciousness. Human? How? He could feel his heartbeat. He knew there was fresh blood, his blood, pulsating inside of him for the first time in years. He just didn't understand how this was even possible. He looked at Damon whose eyebrows were twisted up higher than he had ever seen.

"Well this is going to be a problem," Damon stated, exchanging looks with his equally as confused brother. They were human. That was obvious. The ritual must have made the Originals human. Did that mean every vampire was human now? These questions and more began boiling inside of Stefan as he turned to Bonnie, a look of anger on his face for some answers. She immediately threw her hands up in defense.

"Look. I think I know what happened. And you're not going to like it …"

* * *

Klaus' felt light behind his eyelids and heard the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves. He felt the cold, wet dirt under his body and the sharp wind at his back. His bare back. _If this was hell, I am sorely disappointed_, he groaned, slowly opening his eyes and lifting his head off of the forest floor. He was blinded when he opened his eyes, the sun burning itself into his mind. He rolled over on his back and brought his hands to his face rubbing his eyes and cracking his neck. His chest felt heavy. His breathing was uneven and he placed his hand over his chest without thinking.

He shot up in panic. Beneath his hand he could feel a heartbeat, a racing heartbeat. He took a gasp of air and ran his hands all over his body feeling the warmth not only coming from the sun but from his now mortal body. He was flabbergasted as his mind tried to recount the events that had led to this moment. Ritual, darkness, light - _alive, and naked, on the forest floor._

"Someone's finally awake. Took him long enough," a voice spoke from behind him. Klaus froze recognizing the voice. He slowly turned around and met the peering eyes of Kol. Klaus' mouth became a thin line as he saw Elijah and Finn standing on either side of him staring. He quickly stood up and walked as fast as he could towards them, sending evil glares towards Finn. After taking longer than he expected to reach him, he spat in Finn's face and growled.

"I SHOULD KILL YOU RIGHT HERE WHERE YOU STAND!"

Elijah quickly stood between them holding his brother back. Klaus pushed him to the ground, obviously stronger than him even as a human. Finn looked back unafraid.

"Go ahead, Niklaus. You'll be dead soon thereafter," Finn replied, spreading his arms out wide taunting him. Klaus sneered as he remembered the link that was holding them all together and hesitantly, after a few seconds, offered his hand to help Elijah stand back up. Elijah took it, standing back up and brushing the debris off his pants. Elijah took this moment to hand clothes to Klaus, who took them and began covering himself. After buttoning his pants, Klaus looked at them all, wondering.

"We're all mortal … aren't we? Human," he narrowed his eyes at Finn. Elijah took a deep breath and Finn lowered his eyes. The silence between them lasting longer than Klaus could endure.

Kol was the one to finally speak. "It appears our mother's little spell went off without a hitch." Klaus took a moment to take in the news before rearing his head back and yelling a scream sending all the nearby birds flying away in fear. When his lungs could take no more, he let the adrenaline push his hatred further.

"Where is the evil witch? I wish to choke the life out of her myself," he looked between his brothers for a clue, any clue to lead him to her death. He could not let that hag do something like this to him, rip him of his immortality and power and get away with it.

Elijah smirked, running a finger over his left eyebrow, "The thing is, my dear brother, the woman is already dead."

Klaus, without any hesitation, wrapped his hands around Elijah's throw and began squeezing the life out of him.

"HOW DARE YOU RIP ME OF THAT REVENGE!" he exclaimed as Finn and Kol struggled to pull him off of their brother. Elijah struggled to breathe as Klaus' fingers turned white as he pushed all of his strength into this moment.

"She … was … dead … when we -" Elijah struggled to speak before passing out. Kol and Finn lets go of Klaus as their brother's unconscious body fall to the forest floor. Finn bent down to check on Elijah, checking for a pulse on his wrist while Kol shoved Klaus hard.

"You meddling idiot! Our hag of a mother was dead when we all woke up," Kol grabbed his brother by the shoulder staring into his eyes and shaking him. "The dark magic from that spell ripped our mother from this earth, leaving nothing but a pile of black ash. So please, for all of our sakes, stop trying to threaten us or kill us. We can't afford any of us to die right now since we're all still … pathetically linked."

Klaus blinked a few times and took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. He didn't understand the fury building inside of him and was finding it difficult to control. The anger was controlling him, making it hard for him to breath and causing him to lash out more than usual._ I wonder …_ and then hit him like a blow to the chest.

Full moon. Forest floor. Naked. No memory of waking up with his brothers. He was still part wolf. He must have done the change as soon as he awake from the darkness. His mother had ripped him of his vampirism, but he still had some a form of power. Something to make him stronger and more invincible than his brothers. He wasn't entirely human like his mother had planned. _Take that mother,_ he smirked to himself. He looked at his brothers, gaining control of their current situation.

"It's quite obvious that I contain the most power at the moment considering I still contain my wolf gene," he paced around them. Elijah began to stir. "Good. I'm glad he's waking up." Klaus bent down to look at his waking brother. Elijah's eyes opened and he immediately moved away from Klaus, standing up defensively. Klaus joined him looking him dead in the eye.

"Don't worry, brother," he smirked. "No more harm will come to you on my account. Unless...," he turned to look at his brother Finn. "... our traitorous brother remains linked to us for longer than the rest of the day. I will not give any of our enemies a chance to kill us. Not today, not ever. Kol and Elijah, you will go fetch the witches. They can no longer hurt us in our human state. You know balance of nature and what not. Make sure you arm yourselves for protection for I feel that they will not be alone." He turned his gaze on Finn.

"You will stay here with me. I will not let you out of my sight," he pushed Finn down on a rock and turned, nodding at his brothers to leave. Kol and Elijah ran off as Klaus bent down to stare into Finn's eyes.

"Once we're unlinked, your death will not be quick and painless. You will feel every ounce of my pain as I tear through your mortal flesh and drain your helpless, pathetic body," he taunted Finn who appeared to be unaffected by his threats. _Were his words falling to the wind?_

Finn stared right back in his eyes, "Do with me as you wish. I regret nothing. You are weak now, human. You may still be a wolf, but you will be easily killed nonetheless. Nothing can stop your ultimate demise. I just wish I was going to be alive to see the day you take your final breath. You -" Finn's rant was cut short as Klaus punched his brother, knocking him to his face and burying his face in the dirt.

"You will respect me and you will not threaten me. I am better than you, I have always been better than you. Even in this mortal body I will not be defeated," Klaus spat on his older brother. Finn reached his head up and tried to sit up, but Klaus shoved him back down with the heel of his foot. Finn spoke something into the dirt. Klaus could not make out what he was saying, so he bent down to listen hoping to hear a plea of mercy break through his brother's lips.

Instead, Finn was laughing, almost giggling. Enraged, Klaus grabbed him and brought him to face him, breathing rapidly as his brother's smile grew bigger.

"Now what, pray tell, is so damn funny, you pathetic excuse for an existence?" Klaus prodded.

Finn wiped the blood from his mouth before speaking, "You fail to realize, little brother that I shouldn't be the only one you are worried about. If you count our numbers, you'll see we're one short." He smiled, blood covering his teeth and sticking to his gums.

Klaus' eyes widened as he realized they were missing someone. Someone important.

"Rebekah …" his voice trailed as his thoughts flew to his missing, and now mortal, sister.

* * *

Her eyes shot open, but she saw nothing. Nothing but pitch black. _No! Not again._ She began to panic. She was back in the darkness and she did not understand how. She had felt the warmth, she had felt the pull and had seen the light._ Why was she back here?!_

Her labored breathing caused her to pause. She blinked in the darkness and tried to calm … her rapid heartbeat? _No._ She wasn't in empty darkness anymore, she was alive. She knew it. She felt it. She felt her heart pound in her chest and could feel her body growing warm as she was sweating. _She .. was human, she was mortal._

"How is this possible?" she whispered to herself in the dark. She tried to remember what Elijah had said about their mother trying to kill them. But why was she human? When everything had gone black, she had thought she was finally dead. But this? This was unexpected.

She tried to move her body, but found herself stuck. She lifted her hands to reach out in the darkness and fell upon a fabric. She followed the fabric to her left, a panic slowly beginning to raise within her. She quickly reached out both hands and felt herself surrounded by the fabric. She pushed harder in front of her and felt a hard surface. Her eyes widened in the dark as her survival instinct kicked in. She began to kick and scream, unable to wrap her brain around her current situation. Her eyes leaking tears as she began hyperventilating.

Someone had locked her inside a coffin.

**-  
Sorry for the lack of romance, etc etc. Obviously these first couple of chapters are setting the stage for the story, so don't worry. There will be things happening between our favorite characters soon. **

**Don't forget to review review review!**


	3. Ashes

**My goodness I am thrilled there have been so many positive things said about this. It really makes me happy knowing that you all like it. Sorry that this chapter wasn't delivered when promised. It's here now and I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Vampire Diaries, and I have no rights to any of it.

_Ashes_

Stefan opened the door to the old witch's house and stepped outside into the dark, trying to wrap his brain around all of the new sensations he was feeling and the overload of information Bonnie had just thrown at them. They had spent the last hour listening to Bonnie's predictions and theories as to why they had been turned mortal with the Originals. She said they had both collapsed as soon as they had appeared and had remained unconscious for a few hours, their bodies paralyzed, but not quite dead. With some time they had slowly began to grow warm, like their bodies were on fire, slowly transitioning from vampire to human. She said she had marveled at the transition, never leaving his side. Stefan, quietly, thanked her for staying with them, but he had barely been listening to her talk since his mind was stuck on one, very important, word she had thrown around a few times during her rant:_ Bloodlines._ Not only did it confuse him, it downright frightened him. If the Originals were linked, making their bloodlines linked as one … and then an Original died? He closed his eyes and sighed thinking of the consequences of that. His thoughts raced to his brother, to Caroline. He just couldn't stand losing those close to him.

"Well, I see that our Original friends have flown the coup," Damon's voice startled him, causing him to jump. Another human trait he had not missed, not one bit. Stefan's eyes followed Damon's to the pentagram on the ground in front of the house and the now cold and burned pillars standing around it. Bonnie and Abby joined the two of them outside. Abby glanced around before mouthing some words causing the pillars to catch fire again, lighting up the area and casting their shadows against the trees. It was then that they saw some remnants of dark ash in the center of the pentagram, it seemed as if the wind has blown most of it all away.

Bonnie quickly rushed to the pentagram and leaned down rubbing her fingers in the ash. She closed her eyes and concentrated hard, slowly mouthing some incantations. Stefan watched as her head twitched and her brow furrowed. Her eyes shot open as she looked at them.

"Esther's ashes. She's dead," Bonnie quickly stood up and headed back into the witch's house. Stefan and Damon exchanged looks as she returned with an empty glass jar and started filling it with the ashes.

"Now what exactly what are you doing?" Damon demanded as Bonnie stood up, examining the remains inside the jar. Bonnie shot him a look as she walked over to meet his penetrating, angry eyes.

She held up the jar to his face, "These ashes belong to the Original Witch. Even though she is dead, they contain much power. I'm unsure exactly how they can be used, but I will bet you money it will help us in one way or another." She glanced at Abby who nodded. Her eyes turned to meet Damon's again and she immediately felt him burning a hole in her skull with his now dark eyes.

"Don't think, for a second, I'm going to believe that you will use that to help us." He quietly spoke, his face inches from hers, his eyes penetrating her very soul. He was worried and she could feel it surprisingly. When he was a vampire, when they were all vampires, she was always on guard instinctively, her body controlling her as if ready to fight at any moment. Now that he was human, all of them human, she could feel their pain, could see their sorrow in a way she had never experienced before._ This is going to be a problem,_ she thought to herself.

She was startled from her thoughts when Damon scoffed loudly, turning his head and walking towards his brother leaving her there, stunned. She took a deep breath and looked at her mother who stood there, eyebrows raised, a silent exchange passing between them. Bonnie rolled her eyes as Abby walked up to her, putting her arm around her shoulders.

"We need to find Elena," Damon broke the silence as he reached out and placed his hand on Stefan's shoulder. Stefan had been standing at the forest's edge, gazing out, deep in thought. he turned to face Damon, shaking his head.

"We have bigger things to worry about now," Stefan looked his brother dead in the eyes. Damon's eyes widened as he looked at his brother, confused. Stefan turned to Bonnie. "If what you say is true, we're all linked because of the Originals. If something happens to them, it happens to us and right now, I can't afford to lose anyone, especially you, Damon." He closed his eyes and bit his lower lip. Damon's mouth was agape as he slowly shook his head.

"You have got to be kidding me … Bonnie?" He looked at her, searching for her support. Bonnie's eyes showed compassion, but was empty of any kind of support for his cause. He gritted his teeth together, his heart racing as thoughts of Elena in danger flashed through his mind.

"Elena may be with Rebekah, Damon, but Rebekah is now human. Elena should be able to handle herself now. She's not completely useless. Stefan is right. We need to figure our game plan before we do anything stupid," she said. Damon stood there motionless, shifting his eyes between both of them and clenching his fists. Stefan went to speak, but before he could say anything Damon had him pressed firmly against a tree, a scowl across his face.

"I don't care what you think needs to be done. I don't care who you are afraid of losing. I don't care. I am going to find Elena and no one, not you or 'Miss Witch' over there, is going to stop me," he glared at his brother, his heart racing and his fists turning white.

"I'll go with him," Abby's voice echoed in the darkness. Everyone's eyes turned to meet hers. "I'll make sure nothing happens to him, to Elena .. even to Rebekah." Bonnie looked at her mother, smiling with her eyes, as Abby gave her a small hug. Damon squinted his eyes at Stefan, but let go of his shirt and walked away from the group, leaves crunching under his feet as he walked into the forest . Abby shot Stefan a small smile. He mouthed a 'Thank you' as she followed quickly into the darkness to catch up to Damon.

Bonnie walked up to Stefan and placed a hand on his arm, "They will both be fine," she said to reassure him. Stefan nodded in agreement but his thoughts quickly turned to someone else, his eyes growing with concern. Bonnie understood that look and immediately grew concerned as well. "Caroline. Right. We should probably go check up on her. She is probably freaking out like crazy. I'm surprised we haven't heard from her already." Bonnie whipped out her phone, punching in her number. She stood there, patiently as the phone went straight to voice mail. She scrunched up her face._ This was very unlike Caroline to ignore her phone. _

"Bonnie, don't worry, okay? I'll go check up on Caroline, run by her house and pick her up. Perhaps her phone is dead or something," he placed his hands on her shoulders, "You're right. She's probably just freaked out and alone. She went through her vampire transition alone, I bet she's going crazy this time around, even if it's not as difficult. I'll go find her, I promise. You want to come with me?"

Bonnie shook her head, "No I should probably start looking up any information I can find on that binding spell and see if there is a way I can undo it. Just go make sure she is safe and both of you meet me at the boarding house, okay?" She tried to give up a small smile, but struggled to fake it. Stefan nodded as he gave her a quick hug before they both headed out into the night.

* * *

Liz Forbes pulled into the driveway of her home, her eyes catching a glimpse of the time on the car radio._ 4:17 a.m._ She sighed with fatigue as she slumped in her seat and ran her hand through her hair. These long nights had been the worst and even though Caroline would never admit it, she knew it was really affecting her. At that thought, she gazed up and looked at her house and was surprised to see Caroline's bedroom light still on.

"Seriously Caroline …" Liz shook her head, getting out of the car and heading towards the front door. She knew having a daughter for a vampire would be tough, but she had still tried as best she could to try and have some authority over Caroline, still try to be a mother to a vampire. What really frustrated her was the fact Caroline insisted on being treated like normal._ I will do anything to keep my humanity,_ she had always said. Liz never bought it, but still tried to be the best mother she could be.

Liz closed the door behind her and took off her jacket, hanging it on the coat hook in the hallway. She wandered to Caroline's bedroom, thinking of their impending conversation, but furrowed her brow when Caroline was nowhere to be seen.

"Caroline?" She called out, but received no answer, her hand sliding down to the gun in its holster. She wandered out of her bedroom and walked down the hall cautiously, the hardwood floor creaking loudly. It was then Liz heard the faint noise of the shower running. She sighed a breath of relief as she walked to the door of the bathroom and knocked three times.

"Caroline, honey, I'm home." She spoke and waited. There was no response. She knocked again this time a little harder. "Caroline, are you okay?" Still no response. Liz's hand reached down to the door knob, finding it locked. She banged harder still. "Caroline, open the door this instant," she didn't understand why her daughter was refusing to answer, let alone showering at 4:30 in the morning. But with all the supernatural stuff happening these days, she didn't want to take any precautions because right now … _she was worried_. When Caroline refused to answer the third time, Liz stepped back, and with all her might, kicked the door in.

Steam poured out of the room into the hallway. Liz stepped into the bathroom, instantly finding it hard to see or breathe. There was condensation all over the counters, the floor and mirrors from the shower running for who knows how long and the heat in the room was unbearable. Liz walked over to the bathtub and pulled back the curtain, her heart sinking at the sight in front of her.

Caroline was laying in the tub, sideways and unconscious, blood slowly seeping out of a large gash on her forehead. Liz, without hesitation, reached into the shower and pulled her daughter out, laying her on the wet floor in front of her. Instinctively, she reached her hand down to feel for a pulse and was relieved to find her daughter's slow and steady heartbeat and her chest very slowly rising and falling. She pulled out her cell phone to call 911, her hands shaking from the sight of her daughter in this state.

She was midway through her 911 call when her voice caught in her throat and she almost dropped the phone from shock.

The 911 responder on the other line quickly asked if everything was alright.

Liz couldn't move, could barely even breathe as her broken voice whispered into the phone, "My daughter has a heartbeat. My Caroline has a heartbeat."

**Oh no! Another cliffhanger. I hope you guys don't hate me too much. **  
**Since I am behind this weekend, I will most likely update within the next two days, so you won't have to wait too long. I promise.**

**Please please please leave questions or comments in a review. **


	4. Feelings

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Vampire Diaries, and I have no rights to any of it.

_Feelings_

The sun was beginning to rise across Mystic Falls as Stefan approached the Forbes household. The impending dawn was casting a hue of pale blue over the town, a chilly wind nipping at his neck. The feeling made bumps rise all over his body and the long forgotten sensation brought a slight smile to his otherwise brooding face._ Oh how I've missed that feeling, _he thought as he crossed the grass into Caroline's backyard.

When he reached the side of the house, he heard a commotion that instantly worried him. His heart dropped as he turned the corner of the house and saw her.

Caroline, bloody and being wheeled towards an ambulance.

His legs carried him quickly to her side and he looked down at the pale wet mess of blonde curls in front of him, his hand reaching down to touch her face. His fear growing more with each second as he saw her pale and unmoving, so unlike herself. It hurt his very being.

"Step back please," an EMT said, holding up his arm and pushing Stefan towards the house and away from her.

"Caroline!" Stefan yelled as he was forced to watch her being loaded into the ambulance along with Liz as the doors shut him out and drove her away. He stood there, frozen, unable to process what just happened.

After a few silent seconds, he began running as fast as he could around the Forbes house and back into the woods. He knew of a shortcut to the hospital and hoped that he would be there when she arrived. The cold wind was forcing his eyes to water, unknowing tears dripping down his face. She was hurt. She was really hurt. But how? Was it an accident or did someone hurt her? His anger grew without warning as scenarios were running through his head.

_Not Caroline,_ he screamed in his mind as his burning legs carried him closer to her with each step.

* * *

Damon stood looking down at the three blood bags marked _Elena_ laying in the freezer in the boarding house basement. He knew he shouldn't touch them since Stefan and Elena had collected them as a possible bargaining chip with Klaus if anything were to ever go wrong, but he knew he needed to find her and this was the quickest way. He grabbed a blood bag and headed upstairs into the kitchen. Opening the microwave, he placed the blood bag in the center and clicked the defrost button once, leaning down to watch the bag spin around and around.

Abby was quick to join him and placed a map of Mystic Falls on the counter of the granite-topped kitchen island. There was nothing but silence between them until the microwave beeped twice. Damon removed the now limp blood bag and popped of the top, handing it to Abby. She reached out to grab it, but Damon didn't let go. She looked up, catching his eyes.

"I just want to say this now, before I forget … or before I have a change of heart or something," Damon looked Abby in the eyes with a hint of remorse.

"Yes?"

Damon took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, "Thank you and I'm …. sorry."

Abby, confused, went to speak but Damon held up his left finger and wagged it a few times.

"Ah ah ah. You don't get to say 'You're welcome' to me," he shook his head, raising his eyebrows. "Unbeknownst to you, and that dear daughter of yours, I was there to kill you last night. Or turn you into a vampire. I hadn't decided yet at the time."

Abby looked back with a look of shock. Damon placed his other hand on top of hers.

"And I just wanted to say that I would have deeply regretted it," he then let go of the blood bag and stepped back. "And now that I've done that, we can move on to more pressing matters. Which let me reiterate, is very pressing." He gave her a threatening look and walked back, placing himself on one of the stools on the other side of the kitchen island. Abby gave him a quick nod and small smile before looking down at the sprawled map laying before her.

She took the blood bag and poured a quarter-sized amount onto the map. She capped the blood bag and sent it flying across the counter to meet Damon's welcoming hands. He gripped the blood bag in anticipation as Abby began the locator spell.

_"Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Suguita Segenis, Amentes Ase Nichan, Egapetos!"_

Abby chanted with her eyes closed, her head twitching with each word. Damon stood up and watched as the blood began moving across the map. It finally rested someone in the middle of the woods behind the Lockwood estate. He narrowed his eyes and nodded, _Should have known. _Abby finished chanting and looked at the map and then met Damon's anxious face.

"Let's get going, Mama Witch," he reached for his jacket and headed for the door, Abby, without hesitation, trailed behind him. They both left the house and headed towards Damon's car. The sun had now risen and the light of dawn was casting shadows on them. As soon as they were on the road, Abby spoke.

"I know you think I don't get a say," she began. Damon looked at her through the corner of his eyes. "I just wanted to say that … I'm glad you didn't either." She quickly looked out her window, her eyes on the passing blur of trees. Damon nodded in response and then there was nothing but silence between them until they pulled into the Lockwood's driveway up to the mansion and parked. Damon quickly turned the car off and got out, heading towards the old Lockwood cellar in a hurry. Abby desperately trailed behind him.

Damon then started running when he entered the forest, losing Abby as she was unable to keep up. His labored breath filled the quiet and haunting forest as he gasped for air. His legs were struggling to keep up with the adrenaline pumping in his heart. _This being human thing is really starting to piss me off, _he groaned. He was about to stop to take a breather when he saw it, he saw them by the entrance of the cellar.

His body filled with a mix of different emotions but mostly he was overflowed with fear and anger.

Elena was laying on the ground as if she had been thrown there and was looking up at Klaus who was poised over her yelling something. Damon began running quicker. As he got closer, he could hear Klaus.

"WHERE IS SHE? I SWEAR IF YOU HAVE HURT HER, I WILL KILL EVERYONE YOU LOVE."

Damon burst into the clearing, "You will do no such thing."

Elena's eyes met his and a look of hope and fear shot across her tear-stained face. Damon went to go to her, but Klaus stepped in the way, pressing his forehead to Damon's.

"I'd step back if I were you, mate," Klaus sneered. Damon pressed back harder and looked him dead in the eye.

"You will not hurt her. You'll have to kill me first."

Klaus scoffed, "That's easily arranged and yet, also easily avoided ... if dear Elena here would tell me what she has done with my sister." He stepped back and gestured to Elena who had stood up and was looking at him with a hurtful look in her eyes.

"You wouldn't even let me explain, you wouldn't let me get one word in," she screamed at him in anger. Klaus gritted his teeth and glared back at her. "She's fine, okay. She's not hurt. But if you don't make a deal with me, I'll never tell you where she is." Elena held her head up high with her threat. Klaus let out a scream, but Elena stood strong. Klaus walked up to her and stood inches from her face.

"If she is injured in any way, I swear-"

"We know," Damon interrupted him. "You'll kill her whole family. If we've heard it once, we've heard it a thousand times." Klaus annoyingly looked at Damon and then back to Elena.

"What is it you want from me then? Want me to skip town and leave you all alone for the rest of your existence? Want me to promise to never touch your blood again?" He paused, "Or is it a simple promise of protection?" Klaus raised both of his eyebrows and breathing warm air in her face.

Elena looked at Damon through the corner of her eyes. He was poised and ready to jump at any indiscretion and she was thankful he was there. She gulped and softly nodded. Klaus reared back and stood up straight.

"Fine. You have my promise. I won't harm you," he smirked. Elena gave him a hard look and his lips moved into a thin line. "Or your family and friends." He rolled his eyes before softly grabbing Elena's shoulders.

"Tell me, love. Where is my darling sister?" he calmly asked, surprising Damon and Elena. Damon then noticed Abby had finally joined them and she was giving Klaus a death glare, boring invisible holes in his skull. Klaus was being more cautious.

Damon spoke and held out his hand, "Give me Elena first. Then she can tell you."

Klaus looked at Damon's outstretched hand and, hesitantly, nodded. Elena slowly stepped back and walked around Klaus before running and grabbing Damon's hand. He pulled her into him and gave her a quick hug, running his fingers through her hair and breathing a sigh of relief. _Elena was safe. _Elena pressed her body against his, running her hand over his chest and feeling his heartbeat. She gasped and looked up at Damon with wonder, their eyes meeting. He softly smiled glaring into her eyes.

Klaus impatiently spoke breaking the moment, "Well?! I don't have all day. I have things to attend to." He pointed to an unconscious Finn laying on the ground just a few feet from them. Damon pondered what he meant when Elena turned and faced Klaus, carefully keeping her back still pressed against his chest.

Klaus looked at Elena, waiting.

She took a deep breath before saying, "She's in your mother's coffin in the caves."

Klaus eyes instantly grew angry and he took a few steps towards her, his fists clenched. She raised her hands in defense. "She's alive, I promise. I made sure she could breathe. It took forever, but I managed to make a few cracks and a hole for her to breathe."

There was a deafening silence between them.

It was quickly broken when Damon's phone rang in his pocket. Without removing Elena from his embrace or his eyes off of Klaus, he removed the phone from his pocket and quickly glanced at the caller ID.

"Stefan," he exhaled and rolled his eyes. It was so typical of his brother to step in and ruin everything at the most important times. He gently removed himself from behind Elena, but kept hold of her hand as he went to answer.

"Kind of busy brother," Damon spoke into the phone. His attention on the conversation.

Klaus pointed at Elena, "I should kill you for this impertinence," he screamed. Elena just looked at him.

"Hurts when someone plays your game now, doesn't it?" She threw back without thinking and was surprised to see Klaus taken aback from her statement, instead of instantly angry.

Klaus was surprised as well. No one ever talked to him like that and get away with it, he would never allow it. No one except_ her._ And right now, he didn't want to even think about that woman, _that girl_, and how they had left things in the town square the previous night. Her betraying him. He shook his head in an attempt to remove her face from his mind.

"You should know not to say such things to people like myself. It always ends badly," he sneered, backing away towards the entrance of the cellar. He was done with their petty game and needed to find his sister before she suffocated to death … at the hands of a human. _But you're human now,_a haunting voice inside of him taunted. He gritted his teeth. As he turned around to walk down the steps, he was stopped by one single word.

"Caroline …" Damon gasped.

Klaus froze where he stood and turned his head to meet Damon's eyes. He wondered why her name was brought up, why they were talking about her. He looked into Damon's eyes and the look he exchanged sent Klaus into a panic.

Suddenly, he began to worry in a way that was way too foreign to him. He cursed himself immediately as the emotion rose, taking over his entire body causing a shiver to run down his spine. He had worried about his sister many times in the past, but that feeling had somehow been different. He couldn't place this feeling and why it had suddenly ripped open his heart.

His first instinct was to turn it off, ignore it like he always had when things grew too intense or he was beginning to show weakness. But he couldn't, as hard as he tried, he couldn't. He was human now and he was now forced to feel this feeling and this feeling was something he never wanted to feel … it broke him.

But it was Damon's next words that sent him headfirst into a downward spiral of anguish.

"Which hospital?"

* * *

The beeping sounds of the many monitors surrounding her drove Stefan crazy. There was one for her heartbeat, one for her brain activity and even one to monitor her breathing. He was sitting next to the hospital bed, watching as her chest moved up and down with each breath. The movement was subtle, but he was thankful he had something to concentrate on while he sat in this prison.

They said she was in coma. They had said they didn't know when she would wake up. They said she must have had a brain aneurism and fallen in the shower, hitting her head and knocking her out. They said her brain activity was okay. They said she was okay. But she wasn't. Not to him.

Stefan glanced up at the clock hanging on the other side of the room. It was now 8:34 a.m. His eyes moved to Liz who sat across from him, asleep in her chair. She had been out all night working and hadn't slept. Stefan put his head in his hands, aware of his own fatigue. But he couldn't sleep. Not with Caroline human, with himself human. They were too vulnerable especially with Klaus and his family still out there. Even as human, they were still a possible threat and he would not allow anything to happen to her on his watch.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, thinking about what they should do next. Once they had given news on Caroline's condition and he knew she was okay, he had begun making the important calls. He called Bonnie first and she said she was at the boarding house looking through grimoires and, although she was worried about Caroline, would stay and continue to look for anything on the binding spell, since they could all be dead if they stayed linked to the Originals. He agreed. He had then called Damon who had seemed rather distracted. It was when he mentioned Caroline's name that he got a reaction out of him and he was shocked to hear the muffed voices of Elena and ... Klaus? He instantly had been worried about Elena's safety, but Damon said she was safe and that they would join him as soon as they could. They had yet to arrive at the hospital.

Stefan's mind began to wonder deeper and deeper and soon, before he could control it, he was in a deep sleep.

* * *

Klaus peered in through the window and saw her laying there, barely moving, her chest slowly rising and falling. His eyes moved to her beautiful hair that laid flat and lifeless against the white pillow laying beneath her. Her face was pale and there were tubes going into her nose and wires attached to pads to her forehead. _Only she could maintain her beauty like this,_ he thought. _Her genuine beauty._ She was so pale laying there in the dark room, but he could still sense her light. He could see it flickering in and out of her with each breath. He desperately wished to cling to her and wrap his arms around her. He wanted to whisper in her ear the words to bring her back to the world, to bring her back to him.

It was then that he noticed Stefan sitting in the chair next to her asleep. He didn't like how he was so protective of her and he didn't like how he was the one now comforting her in her time of need. He desperately wanted to be that person for her, but she never would see him as anything more than a monster. It killed him to know this would always be the case with her and that, despite his efforts, she might never be his.

Stefan suddenly stirred in his seat and the movement caused him to quickly duck his head as not to be seen. But Stefan didn't wake, he just moved to rest his head on the bed, leaning into her beautiful shoulder. Klaus clenched his teeth, not liking his proximity to her. How Stefan got to be so close, yet he had to be so far away. Then, suddenly, the unspeakable happened, tearing Klaus' now fast-beating heart out through his throat.

Stefan slowly reached his hand over and wrapped his hand around Caroline's, entwining their fingers together before falling back asleep.

-  
**Hope you guys liked this chapter. **

**Please please please review. It's like crack to me. **


	5. Temptations

**Glad you guys liked the previous chapter. Keep the reviews coming.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Vampire Diaries, and I have no rights to any of it.

_Temptations_

Damon hung up the phone and looked between Elena and Klaus, their expressions varied but still containing concern for their blonde friend. Damon noticed something different about Klaus in this moment as he tried to read the ancient vampire's eyes. _His now human eyes._Klaus appeared conflicted and Damon saw how he fought to contain his concern for her. Klaus turned his eyes downward, lost in thought. Finn began to stir next to them.

"Damon," Elena broke the silence, tugging on Damon's jacket. "We have to go."

Klaus flashed a hurt look at Damon before going to his brother, helping him up and then heading towards the Lockwood cellar. He turned one more time towards them.

"Yes, you should go. Caroline needs you," he whispered softly before they both disappeared down the dark stairs.

Damon nodded, "Right."

He then grabbed Elena's hand and began leading her towards the Lockwood Mansion, Abby trailing behind them.

"Damon," Abby spoke. "Did Stefan mention Bonnie at all?" Damon turned towards her and nodded.

"Yes. She's fine. She's at the boarding house working on reversing that unbinding spell that's still hanging over all of our heads," he stepped over a log. He turned and grabbed Elena by her waist and lifted her over it. Her hands landing on his shoulders. They exchanged looks, the tension strong between them.

"Boarding house?" Elena questioned, searching his eyes. "Why isn't she with Caroline?"

Damon placed her next to him and lifted his eyebrows, "Hell if I know. Little Miss Witchy wants to help us. Which is ridiculously strange because as I recall," he removed her hands from her waist. "She used to hate our guts." He walked around Elena towards the Lockwood Mansion, leaving Elena standing there alone, her brow furrowing with confusion.

"I'm actually glad she's sticking her neck out for the likes of us," he called over his shoulder. Abby walked up to Elena, gave her a quick sympathetic look before walking by her. Elena turned around, yelling after them.

"We can't just let Bonnie ignore this! Caroline would always be there for her!"

Damon rolled his eyes and sighed. He turned around, his arms spread.

"What would you have me do? Go get her and drag her there?"

"Maybe," Elena bit her lip. "I don't know." she sighed and started walking again. There was silence until they reached the car. As they were heading down the driveway, Elena spoke again.

"Take me to the boarding house." Damon looked at her about to reply when she said harshly, "Now."

He and Abby exchanged looks and Abby gave a quiet chuckle as he flipped the blinker to turn right, instead of left towards the hospital. Elena gave a small grin as she sat settled down in her seat, victorious.

* * *

Klaus and Finn, who was now awake and hesitantly walking ahead of him, had made it to the cave which contained the ancient drawings they had made centuries in the past and the now closed, and battered, coffin of their late mother. Klaus stepped past Finn and put his hand out, feeling as it fell into the room. He smirked as he stepped into the room and looked around. _Well, that was the first human thing I have enjoyed thus far,_ he thought to himself as he walked over to the coffin. He bent down to listen and couldn't hear anything.

"Rebekah?" He called out.

There was no reply. He immediately feared for the worst, but remembered that he was not dead yet so he could assume his sister was alive, tortured and hurt but alive.

He started pulling with all of his might to open the coffin and, after struggling for a few minutes, found that it wouldn't budge. He tried again and again with no avail. His heart sank as he feared that the old magic on the coffin would contain her in there forever. He turned to Finn who was standing there, unmoving and unaffected.

"Brother, help me!" Klaus yelled at Finn. When Finn didn't move. Klaus walked up to him and grabbed him by the collar. "YOU WILL HELP ME!" He exclaimed, desperately. Finn glared right back at him.

"I will help you, brother, under one condition," Finn calmly spoke. "We have to come to an arrangement." Klaus could not believe his brother was going to attempt a deal with him. Especially for the life of his sister.

Defeated, Klaus asked, "What then? What is it that you could possibly want?"

"My life and my freedom." Finn demanded coldly.

Klaus looked into his older brother's eyes and felt sick. Not only was Caroline hurt, or even worse almost dead, but he would also be ripped of his revenge. He would be stuck knowing his traitorous brother was still out there, haunting him. Haunting his entire family. He bit his lower lip and brought his hand to the bridge of his nose, exhaling loudly. After a few moments, he nodded.

"Fine. You can have it," he looked at his brother dead in the eyes. "But I will tell you now, dear brother, that when mother's spell is broken, you will leave. You will leave and you will not come back. If you do, I will kill you. That is my promise."

"A promise I gladly accept," Finn walked around Klaus and placed his hands on the coffin. Klaus joined him and with both of their strength, and a long struggle, they finally were able to pull the coffin open.

There was their sister, her hair matted to her wet forehead. She was unconscious, but still breathing. Klaus closed his eyes in relief before bending down and wiping the hair away from her face. Klaus noticed blood stains on the white fabric lining the coffin. Reaching down, he pulled out one of Rebekah's hands to see them covered in blood. _That's my girl,_he said to himself. Even when all was lost, she was still a fighter.

With help from Finn, Klaus was able to lift her limp body out of the coffin. He held her tightly in his arms as he began his ascent back into the light of Mystic Falls, Finn trailing behind him cautiously.

* * *

They had reached the boarding house and before Damon could turn the car off, Elena had bolted out and headed straight for the front door. As she disappeared inside the house, Damon and Abby just exchanged glances. They exited the car and walked side-by-side up to the house. When they entered, they heard Elena calling out Bonnie's name. Damon looked at Abby as Elena ran back into the living room.

"She's not here," Elena said, gasping for breath. Damon raised one eyebrow, quizzingly and looked around their living room. He noticed the grimoires laying about on the floor, papers on the couch. He walked over to the coffee table and lifted up her cup of tea which was half full. She had been here, recently. But where was she now?

A phone rang in the house. Bonnie's phone. They all exchanged glances.

Abby followed the ringing to the back of the house, to the grand french doors that led to the Salvatore's backyard. She then noticed that one of the doors was open. It was the next thing she saw that caused her to scream out.

There was blood streaks on the white door handle, drops of blood on the floor.

At the sound of her screams, Damon and Elena ran in the room. Abby was on her knees, holding Bonnie's cell phone, tearing forming on his cheeks. Elena quickly ran to Abby and threw her arms around her.

"She fine. She's going to be okay. She's alright," Elena repeated over and over again as Damon looked on. He wouldn't lie, he was baffled.

He walked over to the french doors, peering out, "What happened here?" He asked to himself as he shut the doors, locking them.

Not many could get the jump on that little firecracker of a witch.

Elena sat with Abby as she cried and he noticed some tears were also forming in the cracks of Elena's eyes. He knew she had to be hurting. Her best friend was laying in a coma for God know's what and now her other best friend could be hurt, or even worse, dead. He stood there feeling helpless, wanting to comfort her but afraid of what the proximity would do to him.

Suddenly, Abby stood up and she looked at Damon with crazed look in her eyes. Before he could say anything she quickly walked out of the room, leaving Elena sitting on the floor baffled. Damon gave her a quick nod before heading after Abby who had already opened the front door, heading out.

"Abby!" Damon called out to her, but she ignored him as she shut the door behind her. He stood there conflicted, that is, until he heard his car start in the driveway. He ran to the door and threw it open to watch Abby sitting behind the wheel of his beloved. Leaving a tiny cloud of smoke, she peeled out of the driveway and onto the street. He watched until the car was out of sight and then he breathed a sigh of annoyance, punching the door frame.

"Ow ow ow," he cried holding his hand. He stepped back and shut the door with his foot, angrily. He had forgotten he was human, _again_. This was getting bothersome and, after moving papers and books off of the couch, he plopped down on the couch holding his now hurt hand. He laid down and stared at the ceiling, attempting to process all that happened within the past 24 hours. It gave him a headache.

"She's gone?" Elena said walking into the room. Damon opened his eyes and looked at Elena crossing towards him, her hair falling over her shoulders. When she reached him, she tucked her hair behind her ear. He loved when she did that. It was a habit he hoped she would never break.

"Yeah, she's gone … in my car," he rolled his eyes and sat up, giving room for Elena to sit down next to him. She gave him a small smile before sitting down. She immediately grabbed his hand and began examining it.

"You know, you really need to learn to control your impulses," she said as she ran her thumb over his swollen knuckles. Damon swallowed quietly and fought the urge to embrace her. She looked into his eyes and he could sense her heart was hurting, that she needed something, anything and anyone. He slowly removed his hand from hers and reached his arm around her shoulder.

She didn't fight it, like he expected she would, but instead she leaned into him. Soon they were laying on the couch together, Elena laying on top of Damon, clutching at his shirt with tears streaming down her face. He laid there running his hand through her hair and breathed a sigh that could have been confused with happiness and fear. His beating heart pounded within his chest and the closeness between them caused a warmth to rush through his body. Elena's hand reached within his shirt and she rested her palm against his bare chest, feeling his heartbeat. The steady pulse within him must have driven her to sleep, because soon her body had released any tension she had been holding and she peacefully laid with him.

Damon fought to keep his eyes open, to enjoy this moment. He feared it would pass as soon as she was aware of what she was doing, like she always did. But his mortal eyes couldn't fight his fatigue any longer and soon he joined Elena in the peaceful walk of their dreams.

There they stayed, together, their bodies pressed against each others, with no remorse. The minutes turned to hours as they silently found comfort in each other's embrace.

Unawares was their impending reality that hung over them like a crystal chandelier ready to fall and shatter into a million pieces.

* * *

_Earlier that day_

Bonnie hung up the phone with Stefan as she sank deeper into the couch, deeply saddened at the thought of Caroline laying helpless in a coma. She hugged herself mentally, telling herself she must accomplish this one task. However, when she started scanning the next grimoire, her mind began to wander with thought. Why had Caroline experienced something different than Stefan and Damon when they had transitioned back into humans? She thought back to when Caroline was turned. Perhaps that had something to do with it? Katherine had smothered her in her hospital bed, she had killed her. But she was in the hospital bed because-

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard something in the house. She sat up in her seat and looked around, trying to listen. Usually she would disregard anything in this old house, since it made weird settling noises all the time, but this time she felt something. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as she felt a presence inside the house. She quickly looked around her and saw a fire poker laying within a bronze stand by the fireplace. She ran to it and clutched it tightly as she wandered around the living room and into the hallway.

"Hello?" Her voice cracked as she squinted her eyes trying to make any figures within the shadows of the house.

Although it was daylight outside, the house was always too dark. _To match the dark souls living here,_she thought to herself. She then whispered a chant quietly to herself causing the fire in the fireplace to roar awake as well as all the lights in the house to flicker on. The extra light helped her nerves as she made her way towards the original origin of the noise. She took slow steps, each giving way to the hardwood floor sending a small creaking noise into the empty house. She held the poker up like a sword, ready to attack at any given moment. She slowly peeked around the corner, slightly in fear, when she saw the white french doors open.

Cautiously looking around the room, she headed towards them, peering out into the sunlight of the backyard. She didn't see anything.

_The wind must have pushed the doors open,_she told herself. She closed the doors with a click and locked the deadbolt. She breathed a sigh of relief, reaching inside of her pocket to call someone. Anyone. She immediately saw Stefan's number and went to hit it when a louder noise behind her startled her, sending her phone clanking to the floor. She slowly turned around and gasped when she came face-to-face with Kol, his eyes gleaming and smile wide across his face. She stood frozen as he brought his hand to caress her face, his cool touch sending shivers down her spine.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "My brother is always right. There is no fun without the chase." He then began laughing softly, sending Bonnie's heartbeat pumping in her ears.

Without thinking, Bonnie lunged the fire poker at Kol with all her strength. It clipped the side of his chest, barely. But she had made contact as she saw his ripped, open shirt and blood slowly creeping down his side. Kol was knocked to his knees, his hand gripping his side. He glared at her, a look filled with poison.

"You little bitch," he wailed, standing. Bonnie trying running around him, but he caught her arm and pulled her close to him. "You're going to pay for this." He then wrapped his arm around her neck, her back to his and began to squeeze. She began to panic, her hands clawing at his arm. She struggled to speak, to cast any kind of spell, but the lack of oxygen and adrenaline rush was preventing her from thinking clearly. Soon the room began to spin and she found herself slowly falling into darkness. Her last thought before she fell asleep was how she didn't get the chance to say goodbye. Goodbye to Caroline, her mother. She fell into the darkness and prepared for whatever waited for her on the other side.

* * *

"Kol, release her!" he commanded. Kol immediately dropped the lifeless girl to the floor. Kol tried to force a smile as he gripped at his side. Elijah then noticed the blood on his hand, shirt, and chest. He worried about his brother's well being, but Kol just smirked at him.

"Sorry brother, couldn't resist," Kol cackled as he walked over Bonnie and opened the door heading outside.

Elijah brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose, annoyed. His brother would always be the same, human or vampire. He shook his head and looked down at Bonnie again. He bent down and looked her over, noticing her chest slightly moving. She was knocked unconscious, still alive. He was thankful he had walked in when he did, he did not want to anger Klaus anymore today. _Kol should have known better,_he thought. We need this witch alive.

"I'm very sorry," he whispered as he reached down and picked Bonnie up, cradling her. Her head fell into his chest as he walked out the open door, into the sunshine.

**Although there wasn't any Klaroline/Steroline in this chapter, I really enjoyed writing it.**  
**It needed to be written to set things up for upcoming events.**  
**Especially the Delena, which I hope some of you enjoyed.**

**I love all of your reviews. Please keep them coming.**  
**You can also shoot me some theories, ideas of what is going to happen next.**  
**I'd like to get a peek at your thoughts on what will happen.**


	6. Changes

**And now for my longest chapter. You asked for it so here it is. **  
**Believe me when I say it's been well worth the wait.**  
**I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own The Vampire Diaries, and I have no rights to any of it.

_Changes_

Stefan woke up constantly throughout the morning and every time he found himself close to Caroline in one way or another. When he first woke up, he was laying with his head on her shoulder, his hand entwined with hers. The closeness shocked him, he had gotten so close without thinking, as if his subconscious was telling him to do it. He blinked a few times and made sure to lean back in his chair, his hand leaving hers.

The second time he woke up it was 10:30 a.m. and a few doctors had stopped by to check up on her. He could barely listen to what they were saying, his head spinning. He felt bad since Liz wasn't there due to a work emergency and he knew she would want an update when she got back. So many different doctors were stopping by. Even Meredith had made an appearance, apologizing over and over again about how she wished she hadn't used the last bit of vampire blood. He just looked at her and tried to look responsive, but he could barely concentrate on his breathing let alone someone rambling medical terms to his face. When she patted him on the shoulder and left, he found himself putting his head in his hands and rubbing his temples.

He was beyond exhausted. He had tried to get comfortable in the chair, but he struggled to find a position that would send him off to sleep. He soon realized that the only way he could get any sleep, any relief from the worry that coursed through him, was to be close to her. So making sure not to cross any lines, he rested his head on the side of her bed, the top of his head pressed against her wrist and hand. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but, strangely enough, it worked. All he could think about as he drifted off asleep, for the third time that morning, was how he had promised her that nothing would happen to her. How he would protect her. Now, here she was, laying in a coma and there was nothing he could do. The helpless feeling stung his heart.

"Please wake up …" he pleaded, his eyes fluttering closed.

Liz woke him up at noon and told him that he should eat. She handed him a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich. His stomach growled at the sight and smell of it and he took it thanking her. She sat down on the other side of the bed, grabbing Caroline's hand while Stefan ate. He apologized for not knowing her status and she shook her head.

"It's okay. I'm just glad you're here," she thanked him. Stefan nodded, his mouth full. He had forgotten how hungry he had gotten and how amazing food tasted. It felt like it had been a century since he had really enjoyed the taste of food and when he realized that it had been, he sighed with astonishment at the reality of the situation.

He kept forgetting that they were all human now, all different. But it wasn't just their bodies that had changed, he felt like his soul had changed. _Well, I guess the difference is I actually have a soul now_, he thought, taking another bite out of his sandwich. He was very thankful that with this new body and soul, he hadn't yet been overcome with the guilt of all the lives he had taken over the years. That was his biggest fear when he found out he was mortal again. He patiently waited for it to overcome him like a hurricane. But it hadn't happened yet, and maybe it never would.

There was a knock on the doorframe. Stefan turned around to see Matt standing there with a basket full of flowers and a Get Well balloon. He had a sad look on his face as he took a few steps towards them. Stefan and Liz stood up, Stefan brushing the crumbs off his pants.

"Matt..." Liz walked around the bed and gave Matt a big hug. He looked over at Stefan as he hugged her.

"Hey," Matt said.

"Hi," Stefan replied.

It was awkward.

Liz released Matt from his hug and he handed her the basket and balloon. Matt looked Stefan up and down.

"So what Liz said was truth. You're human now? You all are?" he looked over at Caroline as he asked. Stefan nodded slightly, his lips drawn into a thin line.

"Right," Matt took a unsettling deep breath as he walked around Stefan and sat down in the chair. Taking Caroline's hand in his and bringing it to his lips, he sat down and just stared at her. Stefan could tell he was more upset than he was letting off. He whispered to Liz.

"Maybe we should give him some time."

She looked between him and Matt and nodded before walking out the door. Matt's voice stopped him from leaving.

"Has Elena or Bonnie been by yet?"

Stefan went to say something, but he closed his mouth and shook his head. Matt's brow furrowed. Stefan had completely forgotten to check up on them. Where were they?

"I'll call them now," Stefan pulled out his phone and walked out the door, shutting it softly behind him. The hallway was pretty empty for a hospital, so he leaned against the opposing wall and slide down to sit on the cold, ceramic floor.

His cell phone battery was almost dead, but he was sure he could make a few phone calls. He called Bonnie first and it went straight to voicemail. He wondered how she was faring with the binding spell. All he knew was that they were still alive and he was thankful for every minute that he was. He didn't like living in constant fear of dying, especially when he already experienced the feeling of death when he had transitioned back into his mortal states. That feeling of despair and darkness was something he never wanted to experience again. He tapped Damon's name on his phone and waited while it rang.

A groggy Damon answered the phone, "Stefan..."

"Where are you guys? I expected you to be here hours ago," Stefan said. To be honest, he had completely forgotten about them that morning, most of his energy and thoughts had been on Caroline and her well being.

"We .. um … kind of fell asleep," Damon quietly responded. Stefan tensed at his words. _We?_ He thought. His mind placing hundreds of images of the two of them together. Damon was always trying to make his move on Elena behind his back and he would have killed him a long time ago if he hadn't been his brother, his family, his only connection to his humanity.

"We?" he asked, harshly. He heard groaning in the background. It was Elena. He could barely make her words and it frustrated him. Another con to being a human. Damon seemed to have put his hand on the phone, because the talking got more muffled. An uneasy feeling rose up in Stefan's throat. He swallowed hoping it would go away, it didn't.

"Damon," Stefan called out to him loudly, hoping he'd hear him. He called his name again.

"Hold on," Damon spoke into the receiver.

"Put Elena on," Stefan demanded. Damon was quiet for a second, Stefan could hear rustling as Elena was handed the phone. She was quiet.

"Stefan," she said in that tone that she had reserved just for him. Stefan took a deep breath.

"You guys should be here. The doctor's said she could wake up any minute. I'm sure she wouldn't like if she found out her best friend hadn't even stopped by to see her," he guilt tripped her. He didn't feel bad for doing it because it was the truth. The Elena he knew would have been here as soon as she could.

"Well, when we got here and realized Bonnie was gone-"

Stefan interrupted her, "What? She's gone?" Why hadn't they called him and told him?

"We came here to pick her up and bring her to see Caroline, but when we got here she wasn't here," Elena said. "And Stefan … there was blood on the floor and door."

Stefan paused in thought after hearing the distress in her voice and he deeply wished he could have been there for her. She must have gone through so much these past few hours. Caroline in a coma, Bonnie missing. He cursed himself for not making Bonnie come to the hospital. He was cursing himself a lot lately, it seemed.

"Okay," he placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose trying to relieve the headache that had tormented him the moment he woke up at the witches' house the night before. He tried to think of where she might be. If she had been kidnapped, it would most likely have been … Klaus.

"She's with Klaus," he finally spoke in the phone. Elena was silent. She then muffled the phone with her hand and whispered something to Damon. Stefan strained to hear but couldn't. Damon then took the phone.

"Klaus! That ... actually makes a lot of sense. What do you suppose we do now, brother?"

Stefan pondered for a minute, thinking about what Klaus might possibly do to Bonnie.

"Do you think they would hurt her?" Stefan asked Damon.

Damon scoffed, "Doubt it. Elena made Klaus promise everyone's safety or something. I doubt he will keep his end of the deal, but knowing how weak he is, how vulnerable .. he just might."

Stefan didn't know when they had talked to Klaus. Another thing they were withholding from him. His chest was tightening with the overload of emotions and he wished he had a way to shut it off.

"Damon, just get here and we'll continue this conversation." he spoke coldly. He was done with this back and forth over the phone. He just wanted to see them in person. He just wanted Caroline to wake up. He just wanted this pain in his head to go away and this feeling in his chest to subside. His list of wants and wishes were growing with each minute. It frightened him.

"Done," Damon hung up the phone.

Stefan sat there for a second, in silence. A voice over the loudspeaker echoed down the empty hallway and he never felt more alone. As he was looking through his contacts, Matt opened the door and looked down at him.

"I'm going to go. I just .. I can't be here right now," he said before headed down the long hallway. His hand on his head, cursing himself under his breath.

Stefan watched him until he walked out the doors. He knew exactly what he was feeling. He was drowning in his humanity too but, unlike Matt, he couldn't leave. He couldn't run away. He wouldn't do that to her.

He stood up and looked at the name on his phone. He took a breath and hit the call button.

* * *

All of the Original siblings were placed about the large living room at the Mikaelson residence. Rebekah was sprawled, asleep on the couch, covered in a blanket. Kol was poking the log in the fireplace, watching the embers dance about the air. He was clutching his now bandaged side and sent out a few winches whenever he moved in a displeasing way. Elijah was standing in the doorway his arms crossed, a worried look across his face. Klaus was pacing in the room, impatient. Finn was sitting in a chair, unmoving and staring between his different siblings. On the floor in the center of the room was Bonnie, still unconscious. Klaus looked at Kol and sneered.

"Explain to me again why I shouldn't whip you for making my witch incapable of performing her duties?" Klaus stopped pacing and scowled at his brother. Kol pointed to his side and gave him a look.

"She stabbed your dear brother. Tsk tsk, you're lucky I didn't kill her," he raised his eyebrows, challenging.

Klaus growled low in his throat. He didn't have time to wait for things like this. He had too much on his mind, too many emotions flowing through his heart. Plus, he hadn't slept since he had turned and he was beginning to experience the effects of the fatigue. His eyes were burning and he had a pulsating headache he couldn't seem to shake.

Another hour passed between them. They bickered, as siblings do, and when Rebekah would wake up, Klaus would go to her and make her drink water and chew on some bread and fruit. One of the things he desperately needed at this moment was his strong sister back. She had fallen back asleep again when Bonnie began to stir. Elijah moved from his place in the doorway and crossed the room to her. As her eyes opened slowly, he bent down and looked at her with a look of empathy and compassion. She immediately jerked with fright.

"Don't worry. I mean you no harm." He said in a comforting tone. She sat up quickly on her elbows and looked around the room, her vision slowly focusing on the many faces staring at her. Elijah was very close to her face and she could feel the heat flowing out of his body. His humanity flowing all around her. She gulped.

"Where am I?" She finally spoke. Elijah looked at Klaus, then looked back catching Bonnie's eyes with his, like a trap catching a bear.

"You are in our home and we've been waiting for you to return to us," he reached his hand out to her, standing up. She looked at it, quizzingly, before taking it. His hand was rough, but strong as it brought her to her feet. She quickly let go, placing the hand in the other and rubbing her palm. She did not like how all of these ex-vampires were making her feel as of late. She looked at Kol, who was sitting on the ground smiling at her, and frowned.

"You!" she stormed towards him. Klaus stepped in between her, stopping her.

"Come on, love," he put his hands on her shoulders. "Let's let bygones be bygones." He smirked.

She shrugged his arms off of her and just stared at the man that tried to kill her. She was flaming with anger. She crossed her arms and tilted her head, throwing a question at Klaus.

"What do you want then? Why am I here?"

Klaus held up one finger and walked over to the fireplace, grabbing a book, a grimoire, off of it and handed it to her. She took the old book and ran her hand over the cover. The magic generating off of it gave her shivers. This book was old, very old.

Klaus gave a big smile and raised his eyebrows, "It's quite simple, sweetheart. We need you to do your little witchy magic and unlink the lot of us." He then walked over to the coffee table next to a sleeping Rebekah and held up a case filled with tiny jars of blood. "And here is the blood you'll need to perform the spell."

Bonnie blinked a few times, in thought. _Okay._ She nodded at them, agreeing to do the spell.

Although she didn't like being forced to do things, this was something she had planned on doing anyways. She opened the grimoire and spent the next half hour reading the book. The incantation was a little tricky. She was unsure if she would have the strength to perform it.

Klaus had begun pacing again. He didn't like how long this was taking. He was about to demand she hurry up when his phone rang. Never taking his eyes off Bonnie, he reached into his pocket and answered annoyed.

"What?" He exclaimed.

"Klaus," the voice on the other end surprised him. It was Stefan. He knew.

"Why yes. Hello. Is there something I can help you with, Stefan?"

Stefan was quiet for a few seconds before answering, "You have Bonnie." Klaus heard the demanding tone in his voice.

"How observant of you. Only took half the day to figure it out," he walked over to the big leather chair by the fireplace and plopped down, crossing his legs over the arm. Bonnie was staring at him and he shooed her with his hand in an attempt to get her working again. She rolled her eyes and returned to reading. Elijah had walked into the room with an apple and a glass of water, handing it to Bonnie. Klaus looked at them and rolled his eyes at his brother's ridiculous attempts to be nice to her. It was pathetic.

"What are you doing with her? Is she safe?" Stefan again demanded.

"Yes she's fine. We're just having her do a little magic for us and then she will be back home with you lot ... all safe and sound," He smiled to himself. Stefan was quiet for a few seconds. Klaus heard the PA system of the hospital over the phone and he was instantly reminded of where Stefan was, who he was with. Klaus' looked around the room at his brothers staring at him.

"Hold on one second Stefan," He swallowed and stood up, heading into the other room. He shut the door behind him and whispered into the phone.

"How is she?" Stefan seemed surprised that he would ask.

"Caroline?"

Hearing her name made his heart skip a beat. He remembered seeing her earlier that morning through the hospital window. He had desperately wanted to see her and after he had returned Rebekah home and made sure she was okay, he had made his way there. He then remembered Stefan being there with her and his heart grew cold with jealousy.

"Yes. Who else would I be asking about?" He demanded, instantly regretting his statement. They were all aware of his interest in her, but they were not aware of how deeply that interest lay within him. He could hear Stefan sigh in the background.

"She's not good. The doctor's say she had a brain aneurysm or ... something, I haven't really been able to pay attention." This made Klaus grit his teeth. He obviously didn't care that much about her. If he had been there …

Stefan continued, "They say she hit her head pretty badly and lost a lot of blood. But other than that, she is fine. They are just waiting for her to wake up, which could be any time."

Klaus nodded to himself for reassurance. He didn't like how Stefan was there, all the time. He didn't want Stefan to be there when she woke up. _If she woke up_, that haunting voice in the back of his head whispered.

"Will you be there with her?" Klaus cautiously asked.

"As long as the hospital will let me. Visiting hours end at 8:30," Stefan replied.

Klaus' heart lifted in his chest. He quickly told Stefan goodbye and hung up. _He would go to her tonight,_ he said to himself and he would be alone with her finally. He walked back into the room and saw Bonnie mouthing Latin to herself, trying to memorize it. He looked at the clock on his phone. It read 1:30 p.m. He sighed quietly to himself as he settled back into the chair and began watching Bonnie again. He was used to an eternity, he was used to days feeling like hours. But for the first time in his long life, he knew the next seven hours were going to drag on.

* * *

Stefan looked at the phone laying in his hands, once again feeling utterly alone. He looked down the long hallway and saw a few nurses scurrying about, lost in their own world. Before yesterday, he hadn't really paid attention to the other humans in the town. When he wasn't fighting his bloodlust, he was usually busy keeping Elena safe. _And away from your brother,_ he thought. He shook the voice out of his head and looked at the nurses talking. If he were still a vampire, he would have been able to make out what they were saying to each other. Right now, however, he was glad he couldn't hear. He imagined they were talking about their plans after work or the current status of their patients.

He wondered if they were talking about Caroline.

He looked forward at the door to her room, silently hoping she'd bust through the door and demand he stop wearing his "serious face." He laughed to himself at the memory. It was then that he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.

"Stefan!" Elena was walking down the hall with Damon trailing behind her. Seeing her lifted his spirits and he rose quickly walking to meet her halfway down the hall. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck, her hair wrapping around him bringing much needed comfort. She wrapped her arms around his neck in return. Stefan peered through her hair to see Damon standing behind her looking uncomfortable.

It was then that he could smell him on her. His cologne flowing through each strand of her slick and straight brown hair. Stefan immediately let go and stepped back, leaving Elena standing there confused.

"Stefan?" She questioned. He just glared at her and then to his brother. Damon's eyes tensed as Stefan bit his lower lip, upset.

Stefan looked at Elena, "You should go in there. See her."

Elena slowly nodded and walked into the room, leaving the brothers standing in now empty hallway. Damon crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, his eyes not leaving Stefan's.

"How's blondie?"

Stefan's breath caught in his throat. Like you really care, he thought to himself. He wished he could say it, yell it at him. He was sick of this cat and mouse game they always played with Elena. He was sick of him pretending to care about anyone but her. He was just sick of it.

"She's in a coma. Hit her head, most likely after her transition."

Damon slowly nodded, his eyebrows high on his forehead. He pushed himself off of the wall and straightened his jacket, heading towards the door to the room. Stefan put his hand on the doorframe, blocking his way.

"Got a problem?" Damon slowly asked, his voice cold. Stefan clenched his teeth.

"I don't care where you were with my girlfriend. I really ... don't care. There are bigger things to worry about right now than petty arguments with you." Stefan leaned in closer. "So, please, for my sake, when Elena's done in there. You take her home. You take her home and you leave her there." His voice was tense, threatening. Damon narrowed his eyes.

"As you wish," his brother said smoothly, pushing Stefan's arm out of the way and walking into the room. Elena was sitting in Stefan's chair, holding Caroline's hand. She was looking at all the monitors that lined the wall. As she turned to look at them, there was a tear running down her face. Both brothers froze in place. Elena looked between both of them, silently begging for them to comfort her. Neither moved. She brought her hand up and wiped the tear with the sleeve of her cardigan and returned her gaze to the sleeping beauty in front of her. Damon exhaled fast before heading over and sitting on the edge of the bed next to her. Stefan stood by the door, his arms crossed watching them.

A few hours slowly passed. There wasn't much conversation between them. Mostly it was just Elena talking to Caroline, retelling her the latest episode of "Dancing with the Stars" and explaining how confused everyone was as humans. Her eyes turned to Damon's and he met hers with a small smile. Stefan's heart hardened at the sight of them together like this. It seemed different than in the past and that really bothered him. He had always hated them together, but as a vampire he was able to turn his jealousy off. If he hadn't, he was sure he would have ripped his brother's heart out of his chest.

Now as a human, it was killing him watching the silent exchanges between his brother and his supposedly epic love. It was nauseating and he knew he wouldn't be able to stand there much longer.

He was thankful when Liz returned. She immediately sensed the tension in the room.

"Elena … Damon," she calmly noted when she had crossed the room and took her place in her chair. Her eyes met Stefan's and she could read an emotion on his face that she knew he wouldn't be able to contain much longer. "Perhaps you two should go. You look exhausted. Stefan and I can be here with her for the rest of the night." Stefan gave her a small, a silent thank you.

Elena slowly nodded. She stood up and, after pushing back Caroline's hair, she planted a small kiss on her pale white skin. She whispered something in Caroline's ear that Stefan couldn't make out and then she turned to walk out the door. Stefan straightened his posture when she stopped in front of him and gave him a small hug.

He didn't hug back. He just stood there as she leaned back and gave him a sad look before heading out the door. Damon got up to follow and Stefan narrowed his eyes at him. Damon's face was expressionless as he too left the room. Liz and Stefan exchanged glances.

"Everything okay?" Liz asked. Stefan didn't know how to respond. All he did was shrug as he walked back over and sat in the chair next to the bed. He was overwhelmed with emotions and physically felt like he had been hit by a truck. His headache was getting worse. He rubbed his temple, frustrated with his current situation. Liz understood his silence and left him be as she sat back in her chair, trying her best to relax. Within ten minutes, she was snoring softly in her seat. Stefan immediately felt bad for her, empathy taking over his heart.

_Will this ever stop?_

He stood up quickly and looked around the room. He quickly found a pen and searched the room for some paper. He saw a few pieces of scrunched up paper the doctor had thrown away earlier that day sticking out of the trashcan by the bathroom. He fished them out and walked over to the windowsill, smoothing the paper on the ledge. Using his mouth, he pulled the pen cap off and spit it on the floor. He had to get these thoughts out of his mind before it killed him.

He began scribbling his thoughts, his feelings barely bringing the pen off the paper. He wrote about his transition. He wrote about his newfound humanity. He wrote his despair at Elena finding comfort in Damon. His hand began to hurt as he filled the second page, throwing it on the ground and starting the third. He wrote about Klaus kidnapping Bonnie and his constant fear of dying, again. He wrote about Caroline laying lifeless, away in dark place where no one could reach her.

A tear fell from his eye and stuck to the paper, smearing the ink where it fell. Then another. He didn't stop it. He couldn't stop it. He needed to let this out. It had been boiling up in him all day. He had no one to talk to, no one to help him. He desperately missed Lexi in this moment. He turned to look at Caroline laying there across the room. She had slowly become his Lexi replacement and it broke him thinking that he might lose her too.

His hand finally stopped writing. He slowly let the pen fall out of his throbbing hand. There was a callus that had formed on the inside of his middle finger and he rubbed it with his thumb as he picked up the pieces of paper. His handwriting was barely legible. He sat there staring at the paper and drifted into deep thought. He began recapping his life, thinking about where he had gone wrong and how he had gotten to this moment.

The door creaked open.

Stefan quickly stood up, wiping the stray tear that had fallen down his cheek. The nurse looked between him and the sleeping Liz in her chair.

"Visiting hours are over," she said, walking over to Liz to wake her up. Stefan was shocked. He looked up at the clock and sure enough it said 8:36 p.m. He was baffled at how fast the time had flown. How long had he been wallowing in his own self-pity? To him it had felt like mere minutes. Liz woke slowly and, looking up, listened to the nurse explain it was time to leave. She nodded, slowly standing up and cracking her neck.

Stefan walked over to his chair and grabbed his coat.

"When can we come back?" He asked the nurse. She was looking at the monitors, checking Caroline's readings.

"9 a.m." she replied before reaching down, lifting the blanket off of Caroline and throwing it in the hamper that she had brought in the room with her.

Stefan couldn't help but look at Caroline's body in her hospital gown. Tubes were sticking out from under the gown and from the top. He hadn't noticed until now how, throughout all of this, she could still look like herself. The nurse gave him a look and he nodded before walking into the hall. Liz was already gone and he just stood there for a second, rubbing the back of his neck before heading down the now dimly-lit hallway and into the cool air of Mystic Falls.

* * *

The hospital was quiet and dark. There were only a few nurses scattered about in the wing that held Caroline. He had snuck into the hospital before so he knew where they would be and the best way to get in. He tiptoed down the hall, his back pressed tightly against the wall until he came upon her room and looked in. She was laying there alone, her face lit by the moonlight shining in through the blinds. His hand reached for the door and slightly pushed it open, the door making a quiet creak and his gritted his teeth at the sound. He shut the door behind him.

He stood there looking at her from a distance. Even when she was laying there, unmoving and quiet, she still made him nervous beyond belief. He slowly walked across the room and sat in the chair he knew Stefan had accompanied all day. He sat there in silence, his eyes examining her. The nurse had cleaned her as her hair was now wet and brushed, laying across her shoulders in bunches. He reached his hand out and brushed his fingers through the strands, a shiver running down his arm at the cool touch.

His ran his knuckles down her cheek and noticed that even now, without makeup, she was beautiful. Like an angel. The moonlight made her flawless features stick out as dark and light contrasts stretched across her face. He especially noticed how her lips, although cracked, were still as inviting as ever.

"Oh how you do these things to me," he said softly, his hand reaching down and grabbing hers. He noticed how cold her hands were and it frightened him. He didn't like Caroline like this. He missed her fire, he missed her smart mouth.

He sat there with her all night, hours upon hours. Talking to her, telling her about things he knew she dreamed about like big cities, private planes and music. He told her about his past, his experiences and his losses. The hours passed so quickly. Waiting to be by her side had been an eternity and now the time was flying by with each word that coursed its way past his lips.

He felt himself growing more fatigued, but he needed to stay awake. He would have to leave her soon. He didn't want to be caught here when the doctors checked on her in the morning. He laid his head on the bed, his cheek resting against her bare arm. Her hands may have been cold, but the rest of her body was warm. Electricity flew through him as he ran his hand up and down her arm.

Klaus' eyes lit up as he saw the hairs on her arm stand up and goosebumps spread across her body. She may be unconscious, but she wasn't unresponsive. He found himself smiling knowing that he had this affect on her.

He looked up at the clock. It now read 6:30 a.m. He knew he had to leave, but he was struggling to separate himself from her side. He didn't want anyone else comforting her or being there for her, he just couldn't allow that to happen any longer.

He stood up and reached into his pocket. He looked down at his hand, examining his gift. He had saved this for an emergency, a just in case for her, and he was very thankful that he had done so. He then reached down, tracing his finger from her temple down to her cheek and then to her lips. His other hand opened the vial that he was holding and soon he was dumping the contents into her mouth.

_His hybrid blood._ He watched as the vial emptied, the liquid running down her throat. Once it was empty, he put the vial back in his pocket and, using his sleeve, he wiped the little bit of blood that had trailed out of the corner of her mouth.

He knew he didn't have much time, that he would have to leave before she was healed enough and woke up. He quickly brought two of his fingers to his mouth for a few passing seconds and then laid them on hers, making a silent wish.

He walked from the hospital bed to the door and, having opened it, he slowly walked into the dark hallway. Shutting the door behind him, he peered through the window one last time.

_Please come back, sweetheart_, he whispered before he turned and walked away, his head hanging down and a tear running down his cheek.

**Did it kill you? It sure killed me writing it. **  
**Please please review review review! **  
**What do you think will happen? **  
**What do you want to happen?**  
**I love reading all your wonderful thoughts. **


	7. Nightmares

**I'm so glad you all liked the previous chapter. It was my favorite to write so far. **  
**I won't say much about this chapter except that it is the game changer for the entire story.**  
**I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own The Vampire Diaries, and I have no rights to any of it.

_Nightmares_

He didn't sleep well, not as well as he had hoped. Most of his night was spent tossing and turning. He had arrived at the boarding house, expecting Damon to be there, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. He had walked into his kitchen and opened the fridge to find it empty. He sighed loudly to himself, shutting the door and walking up to his room. He entered and looked around, shaking his head at the sight before him. There were journals laying about everywhere, his bed unmade. _A mess_, he exhaled a deep breath,_ just like me_.

He had collapsed on his bed and fallen asleep immediately. His exhaustion carrying him deeper and deeper into his mind's darkest places. Falling asleep had not been the issue for him that night. It had been the nightmares.

Each one featured him running through the woods, his breath labored as he tripped over logs, scratches finding his face. _He was lost_. He couldn't see a thing in front of him, the full moon retreating away behind the clouds. He would hear a howling in the distance and he would, desperately, call out a name. Over and over again. But the only reply he would receive through the darkness were the screams,_ her screams_.

He shot up in bed multiple times that night, his shirt drenched in sweat.

Around 7 a.m. he found himself laying on his back, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. The dreams were constant, the exact same dream replaying in his mind over and over again. He was trying to figure out what name he was calling when his phone buzzed on his bedside table. He reached over to answer it and froze when he saw the name - Liz Forbes. He clicked the answer button.

"Liz," he said quickly, pushing himself off the bed. He knew he was probably over excited for no reason. That she was just calling to fill him in on her status. He didn't care.

"She's responsive," Liz blurted out.

"Responsive?" He froze. His heart clenched in his chest, his breathing stopped. _She was awake. _He immediately began looking for his pants and a new shirt.

"She's not fully awake, but her brain activity is off the charts and the nurse said she was making subtle movements. They says it's only a matter of time," Liz sounded ecstatic over the phone. Stefan was pulling on a shoe, practically falling over.

"I'll be right there," he hung up the phone and grabbed his jacket, bursting through his room and down the stairs. He couldn't believe it. She was awake and only after a day. He figured he would have to wait for weeks, maybe months for her to wake up. The chance to talk to her, confide in her …. help her. He felt himself surge with hope and purpose for the first time since his transition and it felt good.

He ran to Damon's room and threw the door open. Damon sat up in his bed and looked at him, surprised.

"Caroline's waking up. Get up, we're going to the hospital," he yelled at him before shutting the door and heading down the stairs.

Damon just sat there looking at the door. He made a face as he scratched his head. _Well, that's sudden_. He lifted up the covers and smiled. Laying next to him, her arm stretched over his lap, was the most gorgeous human being to ever walk the planet.

"You think he knew I was here?" Elena looked up at him, rubbing her hands through her messy, bedhead ridden hair. Damon leaned down and grabbed her by the waist, causing her to giggle, and brought her to sit on his lap facing him. He ran his finger up and down her bare arm.

"Not a chance," Damon whispered before planting a kiss on her already swollen lips.

* * *

He had waited for Damon for a total of three minutes before he started walking towards the hospital. He had been pacing back and forth, looking at his phone constantly, his insides screaming at him.

As he crossed into the woods, he picked up his pace. Not having vampire-like speed or a car was really putting a damper on traveling. He was lucky the hospital was only a few miles away. He had contemplated calling Liz or Matt for a ride, but he honestly didn't want to bother them. _They are probably already at the hospital_, he concluded as he ducked under a tree branch.

Damon's car was still M.I.A. since Abby hadn't returned it nor had she been in contact with any of them. He reminded himself to talk to Bonnie about it._ Actually,_ he thought to himself, _might as well call her now._ He immediately slowed down to a trot, reaching into his pocket for his phone. He searched through his most recent calls and clicked_ his_ name.

* * *

Klaus had just made it home and had sprawled out across his bed, his eyes about to clinch closed, and hopefully find rest for the first time in two days, when his phone began ringing in his pant's pocket. Annoyed, he turned his face towards his pillow and let out a muffled yell. He then reached with his foot as far as he could, without actually removing himself from the bed, and was able to maneuver the pants onto his ankle. Slowly, he brought the pants to him and reached into the pocket, removing the phone and placing it to his ear.

"What?" he growled, his eyes squinting from the light bearing down on him from his large bay window.

"I need to speak to Bonnie," the voice on the other end demanded. Klaus sighed loudly.

"Stefan …"

"NOW Klaus," Stefan said firmly.

Klaus' eyes burst open with anger, and a bit of curiosity. On any normal day, Klaus would have had some sarcastic remark to snap back at him or had easily threatened Elena's safety to shut up his long lost mate. But this was no normal day, these were not normal times. He slowly sat up and leaned against the headboard of his bed.

"Bonnie is currently resting after a long day of voodoo magic and witchy spells. Can I take a message, mate?"

He was lying. Bonnie _had_spent all of the previous day working on the incantations of the spell and had attempted the spell twice, failing miserably each time. She had worn herself dry by 8 p.m. the night before and Elijah had escorted her to the guest room for her to rest. She had been woken up to begin trying again and was most likely standing in the living room, under the watchful eye of Elijah, failing again. It was then that Klaus realized that he had been thinking to himself for too long.

Stefan had been silent on the other end.

"Stefan?"

There was a deep sigh on the other end, followed by a silent curse. Now Klaus was really perplexed, even a little worried.

Stefan finally spoke, "It's Caroline, okay? I need to tell Bonnie about Caroline."

Klaus instantly smiled, ear to ear._ That didn't take long_, he silently praised himself. He was about to say "You're welcome" when he realized he had to play along. He took a deep breath.

"What's wrong? Is she okay?" he asked frantically, making sure to sound over dramatic and worried. He stood up and headed towards his closet.

"She's … responsive."

"Responsive?!" He had quickly picked out a new shirt and pants. He placed Stefan on speaker as he began dressing himself.

Stefan sounded annoyed. "She's about to wake up and I'm pretty sure she'd like her best friend to be there. Look, can you just send Bonnie right away? She needs to be there."

Klaus rolled his eyes as he pushed his arms through the black thermal shirt. They really needed Bonnie to complete this spell.

"She can leave as soon as she performs the spell. Correctly, I might add," he pulled his pants up. Stefan huffed into the phone.

"Just send her. I don't have time for your games Klaus." Stefan hung up.

Klaus made a face of annoyance at his phone as he walked out of his closet.

He then caught himself in the mirror. Tilting his head and squinting his eyes, he realized that he looked different. He couldn't exactly place it though. He was standing inches from the mirror when it hit him like a ton of bricks.

Looking into his dark blue eyes, he slowly whispered to himself, "I'm … a day older."

He let out a deafening scream before shoving his fist into his reflection, sending shards of glass flying to the floor. He held his hand there for a few seconds, blood slowly seeping down the wooden back of the antique. As his breathing slowly returned to normal, he took a few steps back and looked down at his hand. He was used to pain, he felt it daily, and sometimes he had welcomed it with open arms.

He reached down with his other hand and pinched a piece of glass that was embedded between his knuckle and slowly pulled it out. The pain shot through his hand and up his arm, causing him to wince. Blood began slowly seeping from the wound. Without thinking, he placed his hand inside of his mouth for relief.

The taste of blood made him instantaneously nauseous. He spat the blood from his mouth and wiped the remainder with his hand. His widened eyes met his broken reflection in the mirror's few remaining pieces that had stayed intact.

"Fantastic," he scowled, a trail of blood across his shocked face. He shook his head, cursing his existence, before turning and heading for the door, opening it and heading into the hallway towards the living room.

* * *

He had been watching her all morning.

He had made sure she had gained a full night's sleep, boosting her energy and rejuvenating the magic within herself. He had cooked her breakfast and, even though she had refused, he had found it easy to convince her to eat something. She needed her strength for the day ahead and he would not allow her to exhaust and starve herself on his watch.

What bothered him the most about this whole ordeal was his desire to protect her. He assumed it was his want to be free of his mother's ridiculous spell. But perhaps it was his honorable conscious that seemed to plague him at the most inopportune moments. He shook his head and crossed his arms.

She needed to perform this spell and leave. Forever. Vampires no longer existed and he would not inhibit his brother's incessant desires any longer.

He watched her mix the vials of blood together in the gold goblet he had obtained in the 10th century and his heart instantly clenched in his chest. _His immortality was gone._ His mouth slowly opened, his brow furrowed as his mind raced with memories he would never make and adventures he would never have. He closed his eyes and brought his hand to the bridge of his nose. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled a soft groan.

When he opened his eyes again, she was standing in front of him, her narrowed brown eyes meeting his.

She didn't say anything. She just placed a hand on his arm and gave him a soft smile. His breathing was broken now and was the only sound filling the space between them. Her eyes penetrated his very being and, for the first time in a long time, he desperately wanted to be held, comforted. Since their transition, he had not had time, nor the want, to embrace his new found humanity. He had not slept the night before and had kept himself busy, reading and writing, in an attempt to push the inevitable as far away from himself as possible. The pressure from everything was boiling inside of him now and he knew that it was only a matter of time before he wouldn't be able to contain himself.

"Elijah," Klaus impatiently spoke, startling them both. Elijah immediately turned away from Bonnie, bringing his hand to the corner of his right eye and wiping away the wetness that had begun to burst through, He walked towards his brother's voice and his eyes widen at the sight of his brother.

Klaus' had blood on his face, his shirt and there was blood dripping from his hand. He walked over to him in an attempt to look at his injuries, but Klaus pulled away. He noticed his brother's cold eyes.

"No need, brother. It will heal," he walked around and headed towards the goblet. "Bonnie will perform this spell, correctly, right now." His penetrating eyes meeting hers across the room. Bonnie was going to reply, but she wasn't fast enough.

"I do not have time for your incompetence. Not today. You will do the spell now or you will never get the chance to say hello to our dear, sweet _awake_Caroline."

Bonnie and Elijah both exchanged glances and Klaus shot them a sneering smile, gesturing towards the goblet.

"Now, once more … with feeling. Eh, sweetheart?" His eyes were burning through her now and, as if possessed, she slowly crept towards him and grabbed the goblet, closing her eyes. Klaus stepped back and Elijah walked over to stand by his side. They both watched as Bonnie performed the spell.

_"Medetur sanguinem, habet sanguinem. Tolle animas, rumpe eleifend magna._"

Bonnie began chanting, slowly as she poured the blood out onto the small round table in the middle of the room. Her eyes were rolled back into her head and a cold wind had picked up in the room. Elijah immediately sensed that something was different about the spell this time. His short brown hair ruffled across his forehead as the wind picked up and her chanting became louder.

Klaus was slowly walking towards her now, amazed at the power leaving her and filling up the room. His eyes fell upon the blood on the table. The small puddle was slowly stretching out in all directions. His smile widened with delight as she screamed the chant for the last time, sending the doors to the room slamming open.

She stood there, breathless, for a few seconds before toppling over. Her body never connected with the floor as Elijah caught her in his arms. She gasped for air suddenly and looked him dead in the eyes. He noticed something creep across her face, a few black lines that disappeared as soon as they came.

"Are you alright?" He brought her to her feet. She slowly nodded before turning to Klaus who was staring at the table. The blood had separated and was now laying in five different, smaller puddles. He brought his hands together, slowly clapping.

"Well done. I must say I do admire your passion. It really reflects itself within your work." He walked up to her, his face inches from hers. She felt Elijah's grip tighten on her arm at his proximity. "Now, I do believe it is time for us to make a little visit."

"Caroline …" Bonnie's eyes slowly teared up.

"Wouldn't want to keep her waiting now, would we?" He held out his uninjured hand and as she placed her hand within his, he began to lead her towards the door. Elijah just stood there watching them leave, unsure if he should join. Klaus stopped at the door and turned towards him.

"Oh, and I forgot, our siblings? Keep them here. They will not leave. I will be back after I deliver the witch and I will want to keep up my promise to our dear brother."

Elijah nodded, his eyes never leaving Bonnie's. She returned his gaze and sent him a soft smile before Klaus drug her out of his eyesight. When he was sure he was alone, he let out the breath he had been holding and slowly fell to his knees, his emotions overcoming him. Salty tears seeped their way through the cracks in the wall he had built up over the last few centuries and he found himself, alone and in disarray, silent sobs bursting their way through his clenched teeth and filling up the empty space surrounding him.

* * *

The waiting room at the hospital had been empty that morning but was slowly starting to fill up as the hours passed. Although Caroline had been "responsive" as Liz has put it on the phone, the doctors were keeping close watch over her and wouldn't allow any visitors, not even Liz, until Caroline had fully woken up. Stefan gazed around the room at those sitting with him. Damon and Elena had showed up around the same time. Matt and Liz had already been there when he arrived. He was patiently watching the opening and closing of the automatic doors to the hospital, waiting for Bonnie to walk through. He was unsure exactly how much time they would have to wait, but he knew Caroline needed her best friends there.

He kept catching Elena's eyes watching him and when he would return the gaze, she would look away. He was taken aback at first, but as the occurrence became habit, he grew a little wary to it. He was tempted to pull her aside and talk to her, but he knew now wasn't the time. He had been too busy with worrying about Caroline and they hadn't had any time to process how all of this would affect everyone._ How it would affect them_. He bit his lower lip and looked down at the cold cup of coffee in his trembling hands. He found his whole being was shaking from the inside out and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, in an attempt to calm himself. Lack of sleep combined with the constant stress and worry for Caroline was really taking a toll on his mental and physical being. He needed to see her and he needed to see her now.

It was then that the doors to the hospital opened and in walked Bonnie. She stopped and scanned the waiting room. When her eyes fell upon the group, she gave a sympathetic smile as her eyes met his and she slowly began walking towards them. Stefan was relieved when Elena noticed her and stood up to embrace her in a long hug, both of them fighting back tears.

His smile quickly faded, however, when Klaus crossed into the threshold of the hospital.

Both Stefan and Damon stood up, defensively. They glanced at each other and then back in the direction of Klaus as he casually made his way in their direction. He didn't speak a word to either of them as he quietly sat down in an empty seat close to them and picked up a magazine. Stefan took a few steps towards him.

"What are you doing here?" He whispered in Klaus' direction. Klaus didn't look up from his magazine.

"Same as all of you." He flipped a page, the corners of his mouth moving to a small smirk.

Stefan's blinked a few times before turning to Damon. Damon cautiously sat down next to Elena and Bonnie who had broken from their hug and had proceeded to sit down next to each other, their hands remaining intertwined and their eyes plastered on the hospital doors, waiting. They didn't seem faded by the Original's presence. _Maybe he shouldn't either?_

Stefan turned and looked at Liz who was sitting with her eyes on Klaus, her hand resting on the gun attached to her hip. She met Stefan's gaze giving him a reassuring look and he joined the rest of the group, his eyes never leaving Klaus. Stefan smiled inside knowing she was as equally worried as he was. He sat back in his seat and narrowed his eyes, wondering to himself. _Why was Klaus there? What did he want with Caroline?_

His thoughts were interrupted when a doctor burst his way through the double doors leading into the rest of the hospital.

"Liz Forbes?" He proclaimed causing half of the waiting room to rise in anticipation. Liz made her way through the masses and stood before the doctor.

"Is she awake? Is she okay?" She asked. The doctor gave a small smile.

"She's absolutely fine, Sheriff."

There were sighs of relief all around the waiting room.

Stefan glanced at Elena and Bonnie who were wiping away their tears and smiling bigger than a child on Christmas morning. His gaze then fell to Klaus' who was standing there, looking impatient. Stefan couldn't place the feeling, but something within him wanted to do nothing more than knock the Original to his knees. The doctor spoke again.

"Now, it's usually against policy to allow more than three visitors at a time, especially after something like this," he adjusted his wide-brimmed glasses. "But her recovery is something we have never experienced before and, after a few more hours of observation, we should be able to release her to go home. She is insisting that she sees her friends and family and … I see no problem with that, Sheriff." He nodded to the group, patting Liz on the shoulder. He then motioned for the group to follow him through the double doors and into the hallway towards her room. Liz, Bonnie, Matt, and Elena led the group.

Stefan, Damon, and Klaus were the last three to enter the hallway, trailing behind the others. The tension between the three was very strong as they approached the door to Caroline's room. Stefan and Klaus both froze at the door and exchanged glances.

A moment passed between them. It only lasted a few seconds, but in that moment Stefan could feel something radiating off of Klaus._ Worry? Jealousy?_He was utterly confused by it. Klaus then surprised him once again by holding up his hand, motioning for Stefan to enter before him.

Without hesitation, Stefan burst into the room, his eyes falling upon her. She was hugging Elena and giggling, her smile lighting up the whole room. He could sense Klaus standing next to him and out of the corner of his eye, he could see the same reaction emulating off of the Original. _Seriously … What is his deal?_

His thoughts were halted as Damon pushed his way between the both of them and announced his presence to the room.

"Finally the sleeping beauty has awakened!" He shot the biggest smile to Caroline, raising his eyebrows teasingly. He had walked over and placed himself at the foot of her bed, causing the bed to move a little with his added weight.

He was met with silence.

Caroline didn't speak or respond. She returned nothing but a look of confusion, her mouth agape, staring at him.

"Mom?" She asked, frightened. "Who is this?"

Damon's eyebrows dropped as he tried to speak, but found himself speechless. The whole room seemed to hold their breath, staring at Caroline's confused face. Liz spoke softly.

"What do you mean honey? It's Damon," Liz's worried eyes met Stefan's across the room. "You know Damon."

Caroline tilted her head a little before speaking, examining the dark-headed man sitting before her.

"No mom, I … don't know him," she whimpered, her voice breaking as she spoke.

Klaus gasped loudly next to him. The sound caused Caroline's head to turn and look in their direction.

Stefan's breath hitched in his throat as her eyes met theirs, giving them both the same look she had previously cast upon Damon. The strings holding his heart together began to unravel and slowly snap in two as her pale pink lips parted and spoke.

"Mom, I don't know any of them."

**Do you hate me? I hate me. **  
**I want to explain, but the next chapter will do it for me.**  
**Shoot me your theories, thoughts, hate .. I'm down for any and all of it.**  
**Just review review review!**


	8. Questions

**AN:**** Just want to state for the record that I appreciate all of your reviews whether they are positive or negative. You guys rock and make me strive to be a better writer. I'd be nothing without you guys. I'm glad you guys really liked the end of the last chapter. This chapter is a little shorter than the others, nonetheless, I hope you like it. **

_Questions_

The tension in the room grew thick. No one could move nor find words to speak. Everyone just stared at her, speechless and confused. Caroline's eyes moved between all of them, searching for answers. She bit her lower lip, tucking some hair behind her ear.

"Um … what … happened to me?" She whimpered, her hands shaking. Liz was the only one to speak.

"What do you remember, honey?" She lowered herself to the bed, motioning Damon to stand up. Damon quickly hopped up off the bed and went to stand behind Elena, his hand wrapping around hers. The movement caught Stefan's eyes. His heart surged with jealousy. Before he find time to react, Caroline burst out in tears before them.

"I don't know. I just don't know," her eyes moved between a few of her friends standing in the room. "I don't know how I got here or … what happened to me." Liz slowly grabbed Caroline's hand.

"You can't remember anything at all?"

Caroline blinked a few times, "The only thing I can remember is being with Matt and …" she scanned the room. "Tyler .. where is Tyler?" Her breathing became rapid, the monitors in the room beeping with each pulse.

Liz ran her hand over Caroline's arm in an attempt to comfort her, "Shhhh … honey. Calm down. It's okay. Just breathe. Let's take this one step at a time." Caroline took a deep breath, her eyes fixated on Stefan and Klaus standing at the doorway. Liz's eyes met theirs as well.

"Caroline," Liz asked quietly. "Who in this room do you recognize?"

Caroline swallowed hard and took another deep breath before answering, "You … Elena, Bonnie, Matt …" She gazed at everyone else in the room. "That's it. I …" She looked at the older men in the room. "I … don't know them! Should I know them?! If I'm supposed to know them, why can't I remember?" She cried out, the fluttering of her heart speeding up again. She was losing control, her emotions taking hold. Without thinking, Stefan walked to the edge of the bed, placing his hand gently on her arm in comfort.

"Caroline," he said softly.

She quickly pulled her arm away and screamed, "Don't touch me!" Her entire body was shaking in fear and the monitors on the machine were going crazy as her heartbeat was spiraling out of control. Bonnie and Elena were nearly in tears.

Elena called out, "Caroline you need calm down!" Caroline's breathing was coming in short bursts now. Liz wrapped her arms around Caroline for comfort.

Caroline pulled away from Liz and backed as far as she could on the bed, shaking her head. She was hyperventilating and it was only a matter of time before the doctor's burst in the room. Everyone was watching helplessly as Caroline was losing control of her mind and body. The beeping on the monitors becoming too difficult for any one of them to bear.

Suddenly, Bonnie's voice rang out, "_Esse dormientibus, in pace esse_."

As if flipping a light switch, Caroline's eyes slammed shut. Her body went limp and she would have toppled off of the bed if Stefan had not been there to catch her in his arms. Klaus' angry voice rang out as he rushed Bonnie.

"What did you do to her, witch?"

Damon was quick to step between them, holding Klaus back.

"Best let go of me, mate, before I break every bone in your body," He stared daggers at Bonnie. Damon struggled to hold him in place.

"Calm down Klaus. Bonnie must have had a good reason to knock out Barbie," His eyes widened followed by his broken voice. "Right, Bonnie?"

Bonnie took a step towards them, her head held high, "She's just asleep, okay? I just did a simple sleeping spell to knock her out, calm her down. All of this … ," she motioned to the entire room, "is obviously a little too much for her to handle right now."

Klaus' gaze fell on the sleeping beauty laying a few feet from him and Stefan holding her hand. He scowled, backing down.

Liz quickly stood up, running her hand through her hair, "ENOUGH! I … think all of you should leave."

Stefan went to speak but Damon shushed him, motioning for the door. Everyone paraded out of the room, crowding the hallway. Liz slammed the door, shutting them out. There was a cascade of voices as everyone began speaking at once.

_"What the hell happened to her?"_

_"Guys, I'm seriously worried about Caroline."_

_"What .. How? Seriously .. why Care of all people?"_

_"There has to be some kind of supernatural explanation to this." _

_"Blondie must have bit it too hard …"_

Stefan's voice rang out over them, "Guys!" They all turned towards him. "We need to calm down and try to figure out what's happening to her. Who ... did this to her?" His eyes fell to Klaus who was standing by the door looking in on Caroline, not paying any attention.

"Klaus …?" Stefan inquired.

Klaus' head slowly turned and looked at all the eyes watching him, judging him, pointing a nameless finger as per the usual. He squared his jaw.

"So something goes wrong and you immediately point a finger in my direction?" Klaus growled. Stefan took a step towards him, narrowing his eyes.

"Why else would you be hanging around?"

Klaus didn't respond. He didn't want to be caught by them … didn't want them to know.

"Tell me, Stefan, is it a sin to want to ensure the well-being of a person?" Klaus was inches from Stefan's face, taunting him.

"When it comes to Caroline, yes. It just might be," Stefan spat back at him. The air between them was toxic, everything else fading into black.

"Don't you dare pretend to care about her with your eyes always doting on our precious little Elena."

Stefan shot back, "What … and you do? Since when does the infamous Niklaus care for someone other than himself?"

"If it wasn't for me, she wouldn't even be awake right now!" Klaus yelled.

Everything went silent. Klaus stepped back and saw all the eyes on him. He was cornered and it was his fault._ Damn_.

"Excuse me?" Elena's voice piped up, breaking the silence. Klaus narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.

"What did you do to her?" Bonnie demanded finally. Stefan stood with his fists clenched.

After a beat, Klaus finally conceded, "I gave her some of my blood." He looked down and whispered, "My_ hybrid_ blood."

Before anyone could respond, Stefan had Klaus by the collar of his shirt, pushed against the door to Caroline's room.

"Exactly WHEN did you do this?"

Klaus quickly wrapped his hands around Stefan's wrists and bent them away from him. The sudden movement surprised Stefan and soon Klaus had Stefan against the door, their faces inches apart.

Klaus whispered to him, "Don't think for one minute, mate, that I won't hurt you. We may be human, but I'm still part wolf." With that, Klaus released Stefan's shirt and stepped back, cracking his neck and dusting off his shirt. The many eyes watching him stood paralyzed.

"Well, this bores me," he said, walking by Stefan and through the rest of the group. He turned around and said, walking backwards, "In all honesty … if I were you, I would keep our little history in the supernatural a secret from you-know-who." He gave a condescending look before disappearing behind the double doors at the end of the hallway.

Stefan leaned against the door, mouth agape. He had expected Klaus had an alternative motive for being there but he hadn't expected this level of involvement.

"The plot thickens," Damon spoke with widened eyes. Stefan stood there thinking to himself, oblivious to everyone around him. He couldn't wrap his mind around what had just happened.

As if reading his mind, Bonnie spoke, "This makes no sense." Stefan looked up at her then. "If Klaus had healed Caroline, why are her memories as a vampire gone?"

Matt quickly spoke up, "Um guys … perhaps this isn't the best place to talk about this." He motioned with his head at some nurses who were now watching them, whispering to each other. Elena nodded in agreement.

"He's right. We should go."

Stefan glanced back into Caroline's room, catching Liz's eyes.

"Okay. Here's what we're going to do. Matt …"

Matt cut him off, "Now, don't get mem wrong. I want to help. I really do. But I have to work a job, unlike some people."

Stefan took a deep breath, "Can you at least take Damon, Bonnie, and Elena to the boarding house?" Matt nodded. "You guys get there and look up anything you can on why Klaus' blood could have done something like this." Bonnie and Damon nodded.

"What are you going to do?" Elena asked, her hand resting on his arm. Stefan looked at Caroline through the door's window before answering.

"I'm going to talk to Liz, then I'm going to find Klaus."

* * *

After Stefan had filled her in, Liz spent the rest of the morning by Caroline's side. Bonnie's spell wore off a few hours later and Caroline awoke to her mother's welcoming smile. Caroline had uneasily glanced around the room and saw, to her relief, that they were alone. Liz had then spent the rest of the morning and afternoon doing her best to answer Caroline's constant questions without giving away too much information. She mentally noted it as the most difficult thing, outside of childbirth, that she had ever had to do.

The doctor finally visited them in the early evening, unbeknownst to Caroline's current mental state or her little meltdown, to sign her discharge papers. Liz helped Caroline get dressed in the clean clothes she had brought from home. Both of them walked out of the hospital, arms linked, to her cop car, the sunset beaming against their backs sending their shadows onto the path in front of them. When they had settled into the car, Caroline turned her head, facing Liz, and finally spoke.

"Mom, despite everything, just know that I love you."

Liz bit her top lip, fighting back tears, and squeezed Caroline's hand hard.

"Baby girl, I love you more."

Caroline then settled into her seat, facing forward. Liz noticed a look in her eyes in that moment that she had never seen before. She feared for Caroline, in more ways than one. Liz turned on the radio to Caroline's favorite station and slowly drove out of the now dark hospital parking lot.

* * *

The boarding house was cold when they arrived. Although being away from Caroline right now was not ideal for Bonnie, figuring out a cure for whatever had happened to her had pushed everything down on her priority list. She could do more for Caroline away from the hospital and away from the ... drama? If you could call it that. She had been away for a day and it seemed like everything has changed. Something weird was happening between Elena and Damon, something than was really affecting Stefan. And even he was delving deep into something. Caroline was consuming his every thought, anyone could see that. Granted, their friendship was very important to him and that could have been all it was. Nothing more than concern for a friend. But, Bonnie had noticed a change in Stefan. A change that happened as soon as Klaus walked into that hospital. There was something territorial, protective about him towards her. Bonnie wouldn't call it jealousy … at least not yet anyways.

Damon disrupted her thoughts, "We left everything the way you had it." He motioned to the living room. There were papers and grimoires spread about the couch, coffee table, and floor. She crossed her arms and walked, looking down and assessing where they needed to begin. She had no idea where to look, where to start. Everything had changed with them becoming human and there was little to no hope in them figuring this out anytime soon. She had exhaled and sat on the carpet, facing the cold fireplace. _This is all too much_, she thought. Elena walked over and sat next to her, placing her arm around her shoulder.

"We will figure this out Bonnie." Elena said. Bonnie did the best she could to retain her composure, nodding in agreement and forcing a smile. Damon had moved to face them, resting his shoulder against the mantle, arms crossed.

"Bonnie, none of this is your fault," he spoke softly, looking away from them.

Bonnie was a little taken aback by his demeanor. Damon was actually caring? She gave a small smile.

"I know. I just wish we had stayed away from Esther. If we hadn't tried to help her, Caroline would be-"

Damon interrupted her, "Don't. Okay? Just don't. If you haven't done this one thing, Klaus would still be invincible. We'd all still be vampires. Bonnie, as much as I hate to say it, we're all better off," He had knelt down in front of them and exchanged glances with Elena. "Trust me."

Bonnie took a deep breath. He was right. She couldn't blame herself. Grabbing the nearest grimoire, she pointed to the alcohol cabinet that was behind the couch.

"Damon, can you grab the jar of Esther's ashes for me? I may be able to use them somehow."

Damon gave a little smirk and stood up. He walked around the couch, whistling. When he reached the cabinet, the whistling stopped.

"You were pointing to this cabinet, right?"

Bonnie turned around where she sat, "Yes, I had left them sitting there ... before I was brutally kidnapped." She shook her head in anger at yesterday's confrontation with Kol. _That ass got what he deserved._

Damon moved some glasses around, the clinking filling up the silence in the house.

"Yeah ... um," He looked at them with eyebrows raised. "Not here."

Bonnie stared straight ahead, brow furrowed. She had remembered placing it there and she knew Elijah or Kol hadn't taken it because Klaus would have mentioned it yesterday. She bit her lip, deep in thought.

"Where could it be then? I didn't take it, neither did any of the Originals. No one else was here."

Elena looked at Damon, tilting her head and giving him a look. It took him a minute before he realized who must have taken the jar.

"Abby," he finally spoke. "It had to be Abby."

Bonnie went to speak, but instead slammed her mouth shut. Where _was_ her mother? She had been so wrapped up in the spell with Klaus and Caroline that she had forgotten to mention her to anyone or ask where she was.

"Where is she?" She asked, noticing Elena and Damon exchange looks again. _They are doing that a lot lately_. Damon reached down and uncorked one of the decanters of alcohol and started pouring a drink.

"She left. Took my car. Didn't leave a note," He said sarcastically. Placing the bottle down, he brought the glass up to his lips. After downing the glass, he poured another.

Bonnie didn't understand. _Why would she leave? Where did she go? Why didn't she contact her? Was she gone for good?_ Her head was pounding.

Elena rested her head on Bonnie's shoulder, "When you were gone, blood everywhere, she freaked. That's all. She will be back."

Bonnie nodded in agreement with her friend, but didn't feel so sure. Something didn't feel right and she couldn't place it. There was this feeling in the air that she would be used again, tested, like always, and the fear that always loomed overhead was starting to consume her once again.

* * *

The basement in the old witches house was dimly lit, light shining in through the tiny slits in the small windows. Abby had just finished placing candles all around the room.

"_Ex Spiritum Intaculum, In Terrum Incendium, Fes Matos Sal Vis Adisdum_,"she spoke loudly. Each candle in the room instantly lit, bringing more light and sudden warmth to the otherwise dreary place.

Abby reached inside of the pocket of her jacket and retrieved the tiny jar of ash. She knelt down on the hardwood floor with closed eyes and dumped a tiny bit of ash into her open hand.

"_Anima Vitam Producere Cinis_," her chanting started soft, but grew in volume with each repeat. The air in the room growing thick with the increasing presence of magic. The flames on the candles growing in size, casting odd shadows across the room. The ash in her hand was beginning to sizzle.

"Bennett witch."

The voice startled her eyes open, meeting those of another's, her chanting halted. After a minute of silence, Abby's mouth fell open to speak.

"Esther."

**OH NO! I did it again! Another cliffhanger. Don't hate. ;)**  
**Please review review review. I thrive on them. **


	9. Visitors

**Sorry for the late update on this. I spent almost half of the week traveling. I'm back now and will try to update every day as promised.  
In regards to this chapter, I almost cried at some points. I will prepare you now, it gets a little dark.  
Don't hate me too much. I'm already overcome by feels as it is.  
Enjoy, my lovelies. **

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own The Vampire Diaries, and I have no rights to any of it._

_Visitors_

Night encompassed the town, the stars shining bright with unfulfilled promises. Caroline stood at the front door of the empty house and gazed upwards, scanning the vast emptiness of space. She was searching for something she would never find, hopelessly wishing for some light, some promise. The heart within her chest was quietly pulsating, but there was a tightness there, an overwhelming feeling that consumed her. Her heart was heavy with a loss she couldn't place and the feeling made her tremble with fear.

"Caroline?" Her mother's voice ripped her from the darkness. Liz was standing in the doorway to the house, eyes glued to the emotionless face of her daughter. "You ready to come in, honey?"

She nodded slowly, her lips pressed together and brow furrowed. Her black boots stepped into the hallway, passing Liz who shut the door behind them.

"Honey," Liz headed for the kitchen, motioning for Caroline to follow. "I have a surprise for you."

Her eyes perked up with a smile as she followed her mother into the kitchen, anticipating what kind of surprise it could be. Even though she was a little torn down by all the "surprises" as of late, nothing brightened up her day more than surprises from her mother.

She turned the corner into the kitchen and met the eyes of her father.

"Daddy?"

"Caroline!" Bill rushed towards her, wrapping his arms around her in a big bear hug. For the millionth time today, Caroline was overcome with emotion. Tears began fighting their way through the creases of her eyes.

"Oh sweetie, you are alright. You are alright," Bill repeated over and over, wrapping his hand to cradle her head as she buried it into his chest.

"Daddy," she whimpered. "Something happened to me and it had to be the worst because … I can't remember. Nothing. Not any of it."

Bill bent down, meeting her gaze, "You will, sweetie. With time, you will remember."

Wiping the tears off her face, she nodded. She _would_remember. She would be strong and she would remember. Liz held up a spoon.

"Your father brought ice cream and I've got last night's 'Dancing with the Stars' taped. Let's say we forget about everything and curl up on the couch ... as a family," Liz exchanged glances with Bill who smiled back.

The smile that stretched across her face could have broken a record for its luminosity. She was glowing inside for the first time since she woke up.

* * *

_Earlier that day_

The Mikaelson house was buzzing with life when Klaus returned. He had hoped to find them all there, all awake and ready to talk about the current situation. He sauntered into the living room and found his brothers scattered about talking. When their eyes met his, they fell silent.

"About time, brother," Kol crossed his legs and head tilted in annoyance. Klaus waved him off and walked over to the bar. He grabbed the closest decanter, ripped the glass top off and began chugging. Elijah stood up, his hands smoothing over his suit, and stood next to Klaus.

"We have matters to discuss."

Klaus gasped, removing his mouth from the bottle, his eyes gazing downward.

"Yes yes yes," he fiddled with the bottle in his hands, already feeling a buzz from the alcohol. _Lots to discuss._ His eyes then fell upon his healed hand, the dried blood crusty around his knuckles. Throughout it all, he knew he would heal, that his body would heal. His mind and soul however? Not as easy.

"Where's our darling sister?" Klaus capped the bottle.

"In her room. She hasn't come down since she awoke."

Klaus nodded as he walked around Elijah and headed for the stairway. Once Rebekah was with them, they would discuss their next move. Where they would go, what would they do. Finn had already made him promise not to kill him, but that didn't mean he would be allowed to leave them. They needed each other now more than ever. He knocked twice on Rebekah's door.

"Rebekah, love," he called out. "Be a dear and come downstairs, we have much to discuss."

She didn't reply, so he knocked and called again.

It was when he placed his ear to the door that he heard a faint whimper.

"Rebekah?" He pushed open the door to discover her sitting on the floor, weeping. His eyes widened at what he saw.

She was sitting there with a knife, making small cuts on her left arm. Klaus was taken aback with horror by the sight.

"ELIJAH!" Klaus called out behind himself before rushing to her and ripping the knife from her hands. She let go with ease and sat there with tear-stained cheeks, her eyes never leaving the cuts. Klaus bent down and placed his hands on her cheeks, wiping away the tears with his thumbs.

"Shhhhhhhh," he said calmly, trying to read the look in her eyes. He was instantly pained at what he saw. Hopelessness and sadness. Elijah burst into the room.

"What is -?" His eyes widened when he saw them on the floor. Klaus exchanged a pained look with him. Elijah slowly walked up to them and bent down, picking up the bloody knife. Neither of them could fathom what would drive her to do something like this.

"Rebekah, why would you do this?" Elijah took a handkerchief from his pocket and placed it over her arm, her red blood instantly soaking through the white linen fabric.

She blinked a few times before looking deep into his eyes.

"Elijah," she whimpered. "It's not healing. It's supposed to heal. Why isn't it healing?" Her eyes were filled with desperation. Klaus felt his whole being begin to clench up, tears beginning to form deep behind his eyes.

"Oh Rebekah," was all Elijah could say. Rebekah burst into tears again, her head falling into Klaus' chest. He wrapped his hand around her head, caressing her silk straight hair. Elijah wrapped his arms around both of his siblings in comfort, tears of his own forming in the creases of his eyes. Time stood still for them, sobs filling up the empty space in her bedroom.

* * *

Caroline was standing in the empty and dimly-lit room now. Her father was asleep on the couch and her mother had retreated to her own bedroom, both exhausted mentally and physically from the past few days. Although she desperately needed sleep, the anxiety in her chest kept her awake.

She placed a hand over her heart and wondered why she felt this way._ I wish I could remember._ After she plugged her dead phone into its charger, she made her way to the dresser across the room, pulling her shirt over her head, plopping it on the floor. After rummaging around in a few drawers, her hands fell upon something foreign, something that shouldn't be there -_ a man's t-shirt._ She pulled it out slowly and looked it over. _Whose is this?_ She pondered. The shirt was a grey v-neck, simple and yet, very worn. Putting the shirt to her nose, she took a deep breath. A musky men's cologne filled her nostrils. Her eyes widened, quickly searching the caverns of her mind for answers. _Nothing._

She walked back over to her bed, the shirt dangling in her grips. There was a bunch of possibilities. It could be Matt's, Tyler's .. she took a quick breath. _Or one of the three mystery men from the hospital._

She exhaled annoyed and collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. _If only she could remember._ She clutched the shirt to her chest and strained to remember the faces she had seen earlier that day. There was the one who was on her bed, with piercing eyes and raven's black hair. He was cute, but cocky. Then there was the one that rushed up to her when she was panicking. His hands had been gentle, the look in his eyes soft._ He's probably the one if anything_, she concluded. She then gave herself a mental pat on the back. He was cute, really cute and seemed to desperately care about her. She imagined their relationship, what it might have been like.

_But what about mystery man number three?_Her conscious broke through her daydreams, snapping her back to reality.

_Number three,_she whispered to herself. There was something about number three. She instantly remembered the last man by the door. His gaze on her was piercing, intense. From the moment her eyes met his, she felt like she was on fire. His gaze burning a hole through her.

Shivers made their way down her spine. She was unsure if the feeling was from terror ... or something else. _Oh why don't I remember?_She pouted out her bottom lip as she pulled the shirt over her head. After pulling her curls out from the shirt letting them fall upon her shoulders, her eyes fell upon her bedside table.

_MY DIARY!_She screamed with joy.

She pulled the drawer of the nightstand wide open, searching like a madwoman for the book that would hold all the answers. She pushed aside magazines, tissues, different types of writing utensils ..there was no such no book. She sat back up quickly, her chest falling from disappointment.

_Maybe I put it somewhere else?_

She tore her room apart for the next hour: emptying her closet, pulling everything from under the bed. _No luck._

She angrily stomped her foot and crossed back to her bedside table, having decided to look one more time. _Maybe I missed it._

She grabbed the drawer and emptied the contents onto the bed. Everything cluttered out into a small pile. After placing the drawer to her side, she began going through the contents.

_How did I let this get so messy?_ She thought as she began making two piles: keep and throw away. She put all the tissues into the throw pile, making a disgusted face. _Gross._She then slowly placed all the pencils and pens into a line at the bottom of the drawer. The magazines were neatly stacked next to them, in alphabetical order, and her sleep mask placed on top. The last thing sitting in front of her was a rolled up piece of paper. She grabbed it and, without looking at it, tossed it into the throw away pile.

Hopping off the bed, she crossed to the door and grabbed her trashcan. Making another disgusted face, she swiped her hand across her bed and the contents of her throw away pile fell with ease into the bin. After returning it to its rightful place, she put the drawer back into her bedside table drawer.

"Much better," she said to herself, turning around. Her eyes then rolled into her head as she saw the mess she had made in her room. There was clothes everywhere, papers scattered around the room. Groaning, she plopped down on the bed with defeat. _I'll worry about it tomorrow._

_Tap, tap, tap._

Her head shot up, eyes glued to the window of her room. Terror took over her thoughts as she saw the outline of a figure through the drapes of the window.

_Tap, tap, tap._

Slowly, she pushed herself off the bed and grabbed one of her heels off of the floor. Holding it up as a weapon, she cautiously made her way to the window.

She gulped to herself, reaching her hand for the curtain and throwing them open.

Lowering the shoe, she bit her lip anxiously. Staring right back into her blue eyes was mystery man number two.

* * *

Elijah carefully closed the door shut to Rebekah's room. Klaus was standing in the hallway, a stoic look upon his face. They had spent the last few hours comforting and calming Rebekah until she was fast asleep, the wounds on her arm bandaged. When Rebekah hadn't been looking, Klaus had removed any and all sharp objects from the room, including the light bulbs. For the time being, their sister was on suicide watch.

They walked back to the main sitting room in silence, not caring much when they found it empty. Kol had come up to Rebekah's room earlier and, after seeing Rebekah in her disheveled state, had left. Finn wasn't anywhere to be seen either. For the first time, Klaus didn't care where they were._ Good riddance_, he said under his breath, walking over to the bar. Within seconds, he was drinking heavily again, the alcohol swimming in his stomach. Elijah eased himself onto the leather couch, his fingers gripping the bridge of his nose. After a few painful moments, Klaus turned to face Elijah, wiping the alcohol from his lips.

"I have to go," he slammed the bottle down on the bar and headed for the door. Elijah was quick to stop him.

"But Rebekah-"

Klaus stopped in his tracks. Slowly turning around, his broken eyes meeting Elijah's.

"I won't be gone long, brother," His voice was emotionless. "Please."

The lack of tone in Klaus' voice startled Elijah, who was used to his brother's constant demands and intense anger. _Did he just ask my permission?_Elijah, in shock, slowly nodded. Klaus was out the door before Elijah could sit down again.

Once again, Elijah was left alone to his thoughts.

* * *

"Can I come in?" Number two mouthed to her.

Caroline opened her mouth to speak, but found herself unable. _I can trust him_, she told herself. Closing her mouth shut, she gave a simple nod, reaching forward to open the window. She stepped back as he slouched down and climbed into the bedroom. His eyes fell upon the room all in disarray. He tilted his head and gave her a look.

"What?" She blurted out.

"Nothing, nothing." He walked around her and picked up book that had been resting open on the floor. "I've just never seen your room like this ... ever."

She was taken aback suddenly at the thought of them in her room. _Together._She gulped loudly as he sat on her bed and looked at her, his hands folded in his lap.

"I bet you have a lot of questions …" He said, gazing into her eyes.

You have no idea, she thought.

"I'm willing to answer them, if you want me to."

He began taking off his jacket then. Caroline's eyes fell upon his sculpted arms as they slipped out of his coat._ Is that .. a tattoo?_Her heart skipped in her chest at the thought, her head dizzy. Her brain began running scenarios of them together, skin to skin. She began to tingle all over at the images.

"Are we like … together?" She breathlessly blurted out, catching him by surprise. _Why she just did that, she would never know._After what felt like a decade of silence, he finally spoke, casting his gaze downwards.

"No. I'm sorry."

_Crap,_ she thought, giving him a small smile. He wasn't the one whose shirt she was wearing.

Without thinking, her hands clutched at the hem of the shirt, rolling it in her hand. _She had been so sure of it ..._

* * *

Klaus watched them from afar, his eyes never leaving her window. She had left the curtains open and he was able to watch them interact. He scowled to himself at how creepy this must be, how put off she would feel if she knew he was there watching. Deep down, though, he was pretty sure that in this moment ... he didn't care. Everything was hazy now, everything was confusing. He couldn't control or turn off these emotions, how he felt about being human or how he felt about her. Even though he still continued to try with all of his might every hour on the hour.

He had rushed to her home after the stint with Rebekah. He needed to see her, feel the energy surge through him like it always did when he saw her. He had wanted to be the first one to talk to her first. The current circumstances made this his ultimate chance to woo her. She wouldn't be able to remember anything about him, how evil he was or could be, and he was hoping that, with time, she would give him a chance. He would do anything to make that happen.

Watching them through the window, however, sent him reeling, his throat filling with bile. Stefan was most likely telling her everything, minus the supernatural. Telling her about the relationship with Tyler. Telling her to stay away from _him_. His mouth formed a tight line, his fists clenched with anger.

* * *

_Tyler,_ she repeated the name in her mind. _I am with Tyler._

_Why didn't that feel right?_

"He's currently gone … visiting family for the time being," He ran his hand through his hair. He was nervous, she could tell. "But he should be back sometime soon, I suppose."

She nodded, her hand still clutching _Tyler's_shirt. She wanted to rip it off, to be honest. After learning that it was his, she felt immediately nauseous.

_How could she have started dating Tyler of all people?_He was always such a jerk to her, to everyone.

She stood up then and walked towards her closet to the big pile of clothes that lay there. Bending down, she picked up a beige camisole. She turned to Stefan.

"Do you mind ... not looking?"

"Of course," Stefan stood up and turned around. She quickly took off Tyler's shirt, throwing it towards the trashcan. She pulled the cami over her head and positioned it so it fit comfortably. She cleared her throat signaling that she was done and as Stefan turned around to face her, she thought she caught him look her up and down, but she could have been wrong.

She let out a small yawn, her hand reaching up and meeting her mouth. _Wow, I'm tired. _

"I should go," He quickly threw his arms into his jacket and headed for the window.

"Stefan," She called out, reaching for him. He turned too quickly, however, and she wasn't able to catch herself before plowing right into his chest. His arms reached out, gripping her shoulders, steadying her before she fell over.

He was now inches from her face.

"I'm sorry. You okay?" He looked into her eyes.

"Yea," She gasped, staring back, searching for any memory of him within his dark brown eyes. _Even though we aren't together,_ she thought,_ there is something brightly burning between us._

Realizing how dangerously close they were, he let go and stepped back, leaving her standing there dumbfounded. He cleared his throat to clear the air of the tension.

"What did you need?" He asked.

"Um .. it's nothing," She whispered, unable to remember what she had planned on saying. "I'll see you soon … won't I?"

Stefan gave a small smile and nodded, reaching out and placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Of course. I'm always here for you," He squeezed her shoulder softly, almost causing her to buckle from the sensation his hand on her skin gave her. Before she could say anything else, he was out the window and walking away from the house.

She stood at the window, watching him leave. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest and it took her a few minutes to realize that she was holding her breath.

As she exhaled, she whispered to herself, "Oh, boy. I'm screwed."

She brought her arms up and shut the window, before heading towards her bed and pulling back the covers. She crawled into bed and took one more look around her messy room before reaching over and turning her bedside lamp off.

* * *

Klaus waited outside for one hour, making sure she was asleep. He had watched Stefan leave, and after making sure to keep from being seen, he was now standing at her window. He had turned his gaze away when she had begun changing, but thoughts of Stefan watching her, violating her, made his heart burn.

With caution, he slowly raised the window and peered in. The room was dark, but he could make out most of the room, including her curled up in bed asleep. He took a breath before stepping into the darkness.

His foot crunched under something and he quickly winched at the sound, his eyes rushing to see if the noise had woken her. It hadn't. He reached down and picked up the now broken picture frame which contained a smiling Caroline with her father. He cursed himself for breaking something so special to her.

He placed it back on the ground slowly, making sure to not make a sound, before tiptoeing his way across her room. Mentally noting where things were scattered about, as to not repeat his earlier error, he realized how 'unlike Caroline' her room was in that moment. Everything was scattered about the floor of the room, _messy._Every other time he had been in her room, prior to now, had marveled him. She was always so neat and organized. She had a place for everything and, he knew, she liked to keep it there.

Walking around to the bed, he peered down, taking her in. He was reminded of his time with her at the hospital, before he cured her, how pale she had looked. _How lost she was_, he thought. Now she was back to normal, her face its normal color and her glow more vibrant, shining bright even in the darkness of her room.

He stood there, unmoving, for minutes, maybe even hours. He knew he couldn't wake her, as much as he wanted to, for she would immediately be frightened by his presence. Seeing her in the hospital, scared and frightened had broken him. Their time together, when they were vampires, had proven one thing to him, she would never be afraid. That's the one thing that he liked about her, the fire that poured out of her. But when she stared at him in panic, unable to pinpoint in her mind who this strange man standing before her was, he felt true loss for the first time in a long time. He had wanted nothing more in that moment than to hold her and comfort her. He grimaced at the memory.

He contemplated finding some paper and writing her a note, or drawing a picture. Maybe approaching her slowly this time would be a better approach in his attempts to court her. He searched the room for some paper, his eyes falling upon the wastebasket by the door.

The heart within his chest skipped a beat, his hand reaching for the rolled-up piece of paper that rested within the trash.

In that moment, he was unsure how to feel.

It was the drawing of her he had left a few weeks ago after they had argued at his mother's ridiculous attempt at a ball. It had been a quick sketch, nothing too fancy. He had actually rushed to make it after she left him, wanting desperately to have it waiting for her when she got home.

_He had never thought she would keep it._

The thought of her keeping his drawing, perhaps looking at it daily, made his heart rapidly beat again. But that feeling was soon squelched by pain.

_Why had she discarded it now?_

His thoughts went to Stefan and what he had must have told her. He probably called him dangerous, evil, someone to stay away from. Imaging her hearing Stefan speak of him like that tore his insides apart. Any first impression he had wanted to give her was now lost. She must have been terrified, disgusted, of the things Stefan might have said about him. That must have been the reason she threw this away now.

Although his insides were breaking from the inevitable disappointment that awaited him, he would not give up. _Niklaus always gets what he wants_. He pushed his lips into a line, gazing down at her one more time with determination.

_I'm not letting go of you just yet, my love._He twirled his finger in the blonde curls that were strung across the pillow, making sure not to wake her.

Delicately, he reached his hand down and slipped the drawing into her open hand.

As if knowing his intent, her hand gripped the drawing and brought it up to her chest, slowly rising and falling with each breath that she took.

A genuine smile broke out across his dark face.

_He would get her to like him again even if it killed him_, he thought, making his way back to the window, catching one more glimpse of the sleeping goddess before slipping out into the night.

**Hope you liked the chapter! So many feels, right?  
Shoot me your thoughts in a review ... what you liked, didn't like. What you are hoping for next.  
Your reviews are the highlight of my day, so please don't feel shy!**


	10. Remedies

**Sorry for the lack of update and for the short chapter. I was very busy this past weekend and couldn't update. The next chapter will be a lengthy one. I just want to remind my readers again that this is my submission for NaNoWriMo and that I try not to edit until the month is over. So I apologize if there are mistakes. In regards to those who are saying that a few characters are OOC, this is my story and I'm trying hard to keep with the timeline of the show and to keep characters on character as much as possible. I apologize if that doesn't happen all of the time. **

**I want to dedicate this chapter to **xthesebonesx** who left me a pretty awesome review on tumblr as well as to **dhfreak** who created a brand spanking her cover for the story. You guys rock. **

**I hope you guys enjoy. **

**Disclaimer:** I do not own The Vampire Diaries, and I have no rights to any of it.

_Remedies_

Three hours had passed.

Three house since Bonnie had started searching for any clue as to Caroline's memory loss. Pounding on her heart since she left the hospital was the question that drove her search. _If Klaus had cured her, why were her memories gone? His blood should have cured her entirely, right?_ The whole situation made no sense. She flipped through another grimoire, examining each page carefully. _Nothing._

Leaning her head back against the couch, she groaned, "This makes no sense."

"Struggling?" A voice spoke behind her. She craned her head to look and saw Stefan taking off his jacket at the doorway to the living room.

"You have no idea," she rolled her eyes in frustration. "Nothing. There is nothing about why this happened to her."

Stefan walked around the couch and sat down next to her, picking up a book. "You know, I don't really understand any of this," he gave her a look. "But, if it'll make you feel better, I'll pretend to look."

Bonnie chuckled a little at this and returned a smile, happy that someone was willing to stay and keep her company. Elena and Damon had disappeared within the hour they had arrived. Bonnie knew what was going on and it made her sick thinking about it. Damon was proving, once again, how much of an ass he really was.

As if reading her mind, Stefan spoke, "You wouldn't happen to know where Elena might be …?"

Bonnie's eyes widened and she averted her gaze to the open book before her. _Crap._ She knew she couldn't lie.

"To be honest, Stefan," she ran her hand through her hair, resting her head in her hand, meeting his gaze. "She's with Damon."

His mouth shut, lips smoothing into a hard line.

She continued speaking, "I don't know where though. They disappeared a few hours ago." She went back to reading her book, hoping that the conversation would end. Elena was her best friend and although she hated Damon with a fiery passion, she could not send her friend down the river. Stefan just exhaled, staring forward.

"I can't help but think that … I don't know. Everything's changed since we turned." He finally spoke breathlessly, his gaze never leaving the burning fireplace before him. Bonnie looked at him through the corner's of her eyes, waiting for him to continue.

"We haven't spoken for days," he ran his hand through his hair. "Every time I see her, she is when _him_." Bonnie could sense the stress in his voice, feel his pain. _God I hate them being human_, she thought to herself. She placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Next time you see her, you should talk to her."

"I don't know …"

"Stefan," Bonnie said harshly. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to be honest again." Stefan turned to meet her gaze. "Ignoring the situation, pushing it under the rug for the time being is not going to fix anything or make any of you feel better."

Stefan took a deep breath, "Yeah, you're probably right."

"I'm always right." Bonnie said jokingly bringing a smile to Stefan's otherwise brooding face.

"Well … do you mind if I'm honest?," He asked, looking at her. She intertwined her hands on the pages of the book and nodded. "The distance that we've had these last few days … between Elena and I … was, oddly enough," he turned away, "a breath of fresh air."

Bonnie was taken aback, not in disgust or anger, but in surprise.

"I just …" His voice trailed as he looked at his hands. "I can't do this anymore. Competing with my brother, working so hard for nothing." He subtly shook his head.

Bonnie heard his voice shake. She knew he was torn up inside over the events from the past few days. Becoming human, Caroline almost dying … losing Elena.

She wrapped her arm around his shoulder in an attempt at comfort, "Then don't do it anymore, Stefan. Talk to her. Figure it out. But since she's not here right now ..." She grabbed a book she knew was in English and plopped it down on his lap. "Let's just concentrate on fixing Caroline, okay?"

Stefan nodded and opened the book. They both sat in silence, the fire roaring before them.

* * *

Klaus was back home, sitting in Rebekah's room by candlelight. She was dead asleep, whispering to herself, and he was restless.

He had grabbed a candelabra from one of the guest rooms and, after placing candles, had lit it so he could see his work. He was sitting in one of the old Victorian chairs that they had swiped from the early 1800's. It had become his favorite drawing companion and was one of the most comfortable chairs in their possession. Leaning back in the chair, he was reminded once again of his lost immortality. _He was now ... three days older?_ He couldn't keep track. _But I need to,_ he cursed himself. Now that he was human, each day mattered. He couldn't live his life knowing that he had a million more days ahead of himself. There was a list, his counted days. Once they were used up, that was it. He felt a heaviness in his chest at the thought.

His hand was crossing the paper, charcoal smearing all over his hand. He was sketching, throwing his pain and worry into art. The flame from the many candles were casting little movements, dancing all over his drawing. It was very nostalgic to him and reminded him of the days before electricity._ Those were the days_, he told himself, reaching over and taking a drink from the glass on the table. He had made sure he was plenty drunk after leaving Caroline's home and had decided to let all of his pent up aggression, and sexual tension, out onto the canvas.

His hand twitched across the paper, adding detail after detail. He was making sure to capture every detail he could, put it down to paper. The way he had always put things to memory in the past.

_Caroline, Caroline, Caroline,_ his mind whispered. Even when intoxicated, losing all control of his mind and body, he couldn't stop himself from drawing the delicate curves of her face and the smooth curls that hung about her shoulders. Drawing her had become a muscle memory, a nasty habit he couldn't shake and it perplexed him down to his core.

He shaded the final space below her neckline and leaned back to admire his work, his eyes scanning the entirety of the piece. There was just something about her that he could not place. He took his thumb and slowly ran it over the lips he had drawn, as to not smear the charcoal. _Something …_

He then ripped the sketch out of the book and crushed it within his palms and threw it to the floor. His plan had been to give her a new drawing, something more meaningful, but everything he had attempted so far was petty and stupid. Cursing himself, he leaned back in his chair placing his charcoal covered hands over his face.

Exhaustion, and the overdose of alcohol, was overwhelming and soon, without his doing, he was sleeping in the chair, the candles burning through the night.

* * *

"Do you think this is such a good idea?" Stefan asked Bonnie as she lit a few candles, placing them in a semicircle in front of her. Stefan was sitting on the couch, a glass of scotch in his hand, watching her.

"It's worth a shot," Bonnie looked at him. "If I can contact Grams, maybe she can tell us what we're overlooking." Stefan nodded as Bonnie closed her eyes, her palms facing upwards. "You should probably leave." She nodded towards the door, before closing her eyes. Stefan stood up to leave, taking a swig of his glass.

_"Pro animabus antecessorum meorum testor me loqui. Lumen, inquam etc,_" Bonnie softly began chanting, the flames on the candles growing taller with each word.

Stefan was almost out of the room when she abruptly stopped chanting, the sudden change causing him to turn and look at her. She sat there frozen, her gaze cast upwards. Stefan turned his head to see what she was focusing on, but saw nothing. After a few silent moments, he turned and headed into the kitchen, placing himself on one of the stools.  
He looked down at the watered-down drink in his hand, contemplating making another, when he heard the back door to the house open. Curiosity pushed him towards the back of the house as he heard two familiar voices fill up the mud room. As he turned the corner, he saw Damon shutting the white french doors, Elena standing next to him laughing.

"Elena …" Stefan spoke. She turned quickly, dropping her hands loosely by her side.

"Stefan." They stood there awkwardly, staring at each other.

Damon broke the silence, "You know, someone should take the initiative and clean up this blood." He raised his hand and gasped sarcastically, "Me?! Who would have thought." His gaze switched between the two of them as he walked past Stefan and into the kitchen, leaving them alone.

"Where's Bonnie-?"

"In the living room," Stefan interrupted her. "She's trying to contact Grams to see if she knows anything about what happened to Caroline."

Elena nodded, casting her gaze downward, causing her hair to fall down in front of her face. This movement sent Stefan towards her, on instinct, reaching his hand out and tucking the hair behind her ear. Elena closed her eyes at the touch before looking deep into his eyes, their face inches apart.

"Stefan .." She whispered.

"Where have you been?" Stefan calmly asked. "Bonnie has been in here by herself for most of the night."

Elena fumbled with her words, "Damon and I got hungry so we decided to get something to eat .."

"For three hours?" Stefan tilted his head, searching her eyes. Elena went to defend herself when another voice spoke.

"We lost track of time, brother," Damon had reentered the room. Stefan and Elena turned their heads to see him carrying a few wet towels and a bottle of disinfecting spray. "Oh .. don't mind me. Carry on." He crossed by them and began cleaning the blood off of the door. Stefan shook his head, upset.

"There is so much going on right now," he sneered at Damon. "and all you can do is joke around." Damon stopped cleaning and turned to look at him. Stefan narrowed his eyes, "But I don't know what I expected from you, you've always been the world's biggest dick."

Damon threw down the wet towel, taking a few angry steps towards Stefan, "At least I know how to make light out of the worst situations."

"By hanging around my girlfriend behind my back?" Stefan spat.

Damon made a face and looked at Elena, "You didn't seem to care that much for her or her safety ... if my memory serves me right." Stefan reached out and grabbed his shirt.

Elena protested, "Stefan stop."

"Why Elena?" Stefan pushed his brother up against the doors, screaming "So my brother can just rip you away from me?"

The room was silent.

Damon looked deep into his brother's eyes, compassion surfacing and his gaze softening, "I'm really sorry, brother."

For the first time, Stefan let the reality sink in. He knew what had been happening, how far he had lost her to him. He had just been pushing the reality away until now. In the heat of things, he had put his best friend ahead of his girlfriend, paying the ultimate price. Damon had been there for Elena, wherein he had not.

He let go of his brother and took a step back, his head turning to meet Elena's. Tears were streaming down her face as she mouthed, "I'm so sorry, Stefan."

Stefan turned back to face Damon's penetrating eyes.

"I am too," Stefan spoke before rearing back and connecting his fist to Damon's jaw, with such force that it sent him to the ground. Damon hit the hardwood floor with a smack.

"Damon!" Elena screamed, rushing to his side. He was knocked out cold. Elena looked back up at Stefan, angry. She was about to yell something at him when Bonnie entered the room.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked desperately, looking between Elena and Damon on the floor and Stefan who was standing over them, glaring. "Stefan?" He turned to look at her. She had blood smeared under her nose and her hand was shaking, clutching an old tin. The sight of her drove away his adrenaline rush.

"Bonnie, are you okay? What happened?" He asked with much concern.

"I'm fine. I held on too long is all," She wiped under her nose, clearing the remaining blood that had been stuck there. She held out the tin in her hand.

"Grams couldn't say much," Stefan wrapped his hand around the tin, peering inside. "But she said there was talk on the other side of consequences of messing with the forces of nature. Which is something I know we've heard countless times ..."

Elena had Damon's head cradled in her lap, but had been listening, "So, what does it mean this time?" She asked, keeping her eyes away from Stefan. Bonnie took a deep breath and leaned against the wall.

"It took me awhile to put the pieces together. But basically since Esther turned vampires back into humans, using vampire blood would come with consequences." She slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor, her hands in her lap. "Honestly though, I have no idea. None of this makes sense to me and since this is the first time in history for this to happen, there is nothing written either."

Stefan nodded, "Can you try and contact Grams again? Maybe see if she can tell anything else?" Bonnie shook her head.

"No. Grams told me to stay away, to stop trying to contact her for the time being. She said there was a big disturbance on the other side, but wouldn't tell me what. She wouldn't even give me anything on Abby either." Bonnie frowned.

"Do you think we should be worried?" Stefan asked.

"I … honestly don't know. I can't see why there would be anything to worry about anymore. You are no longer vampires. All of the balance should be in order. Like I said, none of this makes any sense to me."

Damon began to stir. Stefan held up the tin to Bonnie, raising his eyebrows.

"And this is …?"

Bonnie was quick to explain, "Grams mentioned a spell that might help with Caroline's memory loss. Those tea leaves, which I just spelled, when consumed should help restore her memories. It may take awhile and she'll have to take it twice a day. But, if the spell works, she should be fine in a few weeks. I'm just concerned on how we'll get her to take it without her growing suspicious." Damon's eyes shot open.

"Ow," Damon grimaced, rolling off Elena's lap and onto the floor. His eye gazed up, meeting Stefan's. "You happy?"

Stefan gave him a stern look in return, "Very."

Elena rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she helped Damon stand. His face was bleeding from where he hit his head on the floor and there was a large bruise forming on his jaw. She ran her hand over his face in comfort. Stefan quickly turned his eyes away and met Bonnie's, his stomach sick from the sight of them together.

"I think you and Elena should spend tomorrow with Caroline. Get her out of the house, get her feeling comfortable with herself again." He handed the tin back to Bonnie. "You know what to do with this better than anyone." Bonnie nodded in agreement. Stefan didn't look at Elena to see if she agreed, he couldn't.

Bonnie reached out to grasp Stefan's shoulder, but he shrugged away and headed out of the room without saying another word._ I can't do this anymore,_ he reminded himself. He then walked up the stairs and into his room, slamming the door behind himself in anger.

Without thinking, he walked over to his desk, that was planted in the center of the room, and threw everything off with one shove, making a loud crash as it met the floor. His hand then wrapped around his desk lamp and with a loud unintelligible yell, he sent it flying across the room, smashing against the opposite wall. The room was now dark as glass was scattered across the floor. Stefan just stood there.

_Why? Just … why?_

He was utterly alone now and it killed him. He obviously couldn't find comfort in Elena or talk to Damon, just thinking about them made him sick. His next instinct was to run to Caroline. But that was impossible now that she didn't have her memories. He couldn't rush anything with her, couldn't risk ruining their relationship. No, he had to keep a lengthy distance for the time being. For now, he would be alone, lost in his own thoughts and destroyed by his dreams.

He placed his head in his hands and sat down on the edge of the bed in despair, the moonlight casting the window's shadow across his back as he wept.

**Not a lot of Klaroline/Steroline (or even Caroline) in this chapter and I apologize for that. **  
**Next chapter will have a bunch of all three and I will be updating tomorrow, so you won't have to wait long. **

**Don't forget to REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW.**

**Also, follow me on tumblr (if you aren't already). My tumblr name is sweetklausoline. **

**Thanks a lot guys! **


	11. Meetings

**So here's the next chapter and I hope you guys like it. **  
**There has been some questions in regards to when some things will happen in the story, like Abby and Ester, etc etc.**  
**I just want to let you all know that this will be a very long story and we will be getting to all of those things eventually.**

**I, for one, hate rushed stories, especially rushed love stories. So I hope you all can bare with me.**  
**  
Disclaimer:** I do not own The Vampire Diaries, and I have no rights to any of it.

_Meetings_

Caroline slowly began to stir, the light shining through her window brightening her mind through her closed eyelids. She groaned, cracking one eye open to close it quickly again, catching a quick glimpse of the time on her alarm clock: 8 a.m. _Why so early?_The sun seemed brighter today and she clenched her eyes shut wondering why. She made a face before bringing her hand up to rub her tired face.

Something jabbed itself into her eye.

"Ah." She cried, sending her other hand to cradle her now watering eye. She shot up in bed, looking down to see what had stabbed her. She froze when she saw that her hand had been grasping the rolled-up piece of paper from the night before.

"Didn't I throw this away?" She asked herself as she sat up higher on the bed, her back resting against her headboard. _Seriously?_She shook her head and with one eye closed, she took the paper in both of her hands, slowly unrolling it.

Her head slowly tilted in disbelief at what she saw.

"What is this?" She whispered, her eyes trailing over the drawing. It was a sketch, a drawing, a beautiful depiction of her with an as equally beautiful horse. But it wasn't the content that made her mouth fall agape at the sight, but the way she was depicted that tugged at her heartstrings. She looked … absolutely beautiful.

It was then that the bottom of the sketch caught her attention: _Thank you for your honesty, Klaus._

Her brow furrowed as she spoke, mispronouncing the name, "Clayus?" Her mouth slammed shut at the sound. _No, that wasn't right_, she thought.

Like someone whispering a secret in a cave, a voice smoothly echoed in her mind: _Klaus._

"Klaus …" She said aloud, "Klaus."

Running her fingers over the sketch, she tried to bring his face to mind. _Who was he?_ Stefan hadn't mentioned him to her when they had talked last night. _I wonder why ..._

Her breath hitched in her throat as she gulped in realization.

_Was he mystery man number three?_

She laid her head back on the headboard, her eyes scanning the empty space before her, trying to remember what he looked like. The image of him was pretty vague considering she only saw him for a few minutes yesterday. The only things she could remember was how tall he was, his dark clothes and his eyes … his blue, intense eyes.

_Oh how they had penetrated her. _She bit her lower lip at the thought.

She looked back down at the drawing and wondered how it got from the trash can to her hand in the middle of the night. _Did I go and get it?_ She concluded that she must have, her subconscious struggling to bring some of her lost past into focus. _Was there something between her and this Klaus?_

His eyes had startled and, slightly, terrified her in the hospital. But maybe there was something else there behind his dark eyes. She strained to try and remember anything about him.

She brought her knees up under her covers and wrapped her arms around her legs, holding the drawing in front of her. She placed her head on her knees with a sigh, her eyes concentrating on his name.

"Klaus …." The corner of her mouth twitched up a little at the sound of his name. She may be with Tyler, but this drawing proved that someone else might like her too. Despite the darkness from her lost memories, the thought of being someone's choice lit her insides up with fire.

Suddenly, there was a knock on her door, followed by a familiar voice, "Caroline?"

It was her father.

Throwing open her nightstand, she yelled back, "Getting dressed. Hold on a second." She glimpsed one last time at the drawing, memorizing it. She didn't know why she lost her memories, why she couldn't remember, but she wouldn't forget this. _Not again._

After slamming the drawer shut, she jumped out of bed and reached down within the mess of clothes that scattered her floor. She grabbed a black top and pulled her arms through it, pulling it down as she reached the door. Taking a deep breath and fluffing her hair, she pulled open the door. Bill was standing there, with two steaming white mugs in his hand.

"Morning sunshine, breakfast tea?" He held out one of the mugs, stepping into the room. Caroline smiled back warmly, wrapping her hand around the hot mug.

"Thanks, daddy." She whispered, taking a sip of the tea. The temperature burned her tongue, but despite that it was surprisingly delicious. Bill looked at her cluttered room.

"Rough night?" He shot her a warm smile. Caroline quickly took another sip before exhaling loudly.

"Was looking for something, couldn't find it."

Bill raised an eyebrow at her before speaking, "Something being …?"

"My diary," She blurted out. Bill's gaze didn't move from hers.

"Right … your diary," He reached up, placing his hand at the crook of his neck nervously.

Caroline's brow furrowed at her father's antics. He was acting weird. But before she could say anything, there was another knock on the door. She turned her head to find Elena and Bonnie standing in the doorway. Caroline smiled at the sight of them.

"Oh right," Bill sipped his tea. "Your friends are here." He reached down, planting a kiss on Caroline's messy hair. "Totally forgot."

"Time for some quality girl time," Elena said, walking up to Caroline and placing her arm around her neck. Caroline looked at her father who was heading for the door. She was worried he was leaving for good.

He turned around, giving her a big smile, "Don't worry sweetie. I'll be staying for awhile. If you need me," He began shutting the door. "I'll be downstairs working." With that, he clicked the door shut.

After taking in the sight of her room, Bonnie reached down and picked up one of Caroline's shirts, dangling it on her finger, "Redecorating?"

Caroline giggled a little, embarrassed, "I couldn't find my diary last night and well …" She sat down on the bed. "I went a little crazy trying to look for it." Elena plopped down next to Caroline, making the bed move a little.

"Well, let's look for it … while we clean up this mess."

Caroline gave her friends a big smile as Bonnie reached down and turned the alarm clock radio on, turning the frequency to some guilty pleasure pop music. Elena stood up then and started dancing with Bonnie, bending down and picking up one of her scarves and twirling it above her head. Caroline laughed.

The sight of her friends being so carefree and fun brought Caroline's spirits up. She needed this, a distraction, and when it came to her friends, they knew exactly what to do for her.

She stood up and joined them, a smile across her face, as they danced together

* * *

Stefan's eyes eased their way open at the sound of birds chirping outside, the light from his window brightening his room. He ran his hand over his face, still tired. He had gotten a decent nights sleep, despite waking a few times from disturbed dreams, and he wanted nothing more than to roll over and close himself off from the world.

Hesitantly, he sat up in bed, looking around at the mess he had made the night before. He sighed loudly.

"Just another mess to clean up," He shook his head, getting out of bed. Bending down, he began to pick up the journals and papers off of the floor.

He spent the next hour and a half cleaning up. After finishing, he stood back and looked around. His bed was made, glass was cleaned up, he had organized everything. Even with the room clean, Stefan couldn't place how odd it felt standing there, like something was missing or off balance.

He sat down at his desk and pulled the top journal off of the stack on his desk and flipped to the bookmarked page, reading the few lines he had sprawled on top earlier that week.

_These days it seems like I'm losing myself in her, forgetting who I am. Just to make her happy and earn her love. I'm drowning and I, no matter how hard I fight, can't come up for air. _

He looked up from the page and shook his head. _So pathetic._He hated playing the victim and, no matter what he did, he was always thrown into that role. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the papers he had written on in the hospital, scanning each word and taking in the emotions he had felt that night. The tear stained pages were heavy with his deepest pains and regrets and, after reading them, he realized how much this transition had changed everything. How it had changed him.

His bloodlust was long gone as well as the struggle to control his urges. His need for a balance, for control, had dissipated the minute he woke up on the floor at the witches' house. _Everything is so different_, he swallowed hard, thinking to himself. Becoming human had changed everything and, for better or for worse, he really needed to accept that. The sooner he did, the better off he would be and the better he would feel.

He opened one of the desk drawers and found a pen and, turning the page, began putting his newfound thoughts to paper.

* * *

Caroline leaned back against her bedroom window and looked about her room with glee. It was almost back to normal. Elena was still hanging up clothes in her closet and Bonnie was organizing the bins under her bed. Both of them were singing the lyrics to the newest Taylor Swift song that had started playing on the radio. Caroline sadly couldn't join in considering she didn't know the lyrics at all. She exhaled loudly, looking down at her feet.

Her eyes fell upon the picture frame holding the picture of her and her father when they had gone to the carnival a few years ago. It was one of her favorite photos. She bent down to pick it up, a few pieces of glass falling to the ground. _When had this been broken?_

"Success! All done!" Elena raised her arms in the air, catching Caroline's attention.

"Me too," Bonnie stood up, dusting her hands off.

Elena and Bonnie watched as Caroline picked up the spare pieces of glass off the floor. The look on her face solemn. They exchanged glances as Caroline placed the broken picture frame on the dresser.

Elena spoke up quickly, "You know what we need?" Caroline turned to look at her. "Things. We need things. Especially when good things are broken."

Bonnie smiled big at this, "So …. shopping?!" Her question was directed at Caroline. Caroline was a little taken aback. _Since when do we spend so much time together?_

"Well I was thinking," she chirped, her hands clasped behind her back. "that we could get something to eat?" It was now 11:30 and her stomach had been rolling for the past hour.

Elena looked at Bonnie, nodding her head, "Sure thing … then we shop?" She asked, smiling big at Caroline.

"When do I ever say no to shopping?" Caroline winked, sending Elena and Bonnie clapping.

They then spent the next hour getting ready. Even though they were just going to get lunch and shop around town, they took their time as if preparing for some party or ball. Caroline had found a pale blue shirt in her closet that she had never seen before and, after her initial hesitation, dedicated to wear it. _Why not? I must have bought this for a reason._Both Bonnie and Elena had borrowed some of her clothes and she would have to say that they all looked incredibly fashionable in this moment. Bonnie was putting on makeup when Elena stood up having finished curling her hair.

"God, I look so much like Katherine right now." Elena said, looking at herself in the mirror.

"Who's Katherine?" Caroline asked, without looking up from painting her fingernails. Elena took a quick breath, her mind searching for an answer. Caroline looked up, waiting for an answer.

"Just this new celebrity," Bonnie quickly blurted out. Elena looked at her, nodding in agreement.

"Oh, okay. Cool." Caroline said, returning back to her nails. Once again, she was out of the loop on everything. _God, this sucks_, she thought. She really needed to spend a day on the internet and just rehash all of the stuff she couldn't remember.

She put the finishing touches on her nails which were now a hot pink color with a few white spots on each of her ring fingers. She was blowing on them as Bonnie stood up, having finished her makeup.

"Well, I'm ready to go."

Elena then stood up and struck a pose, "How do I look? Fabulous, I hope."

"We all look smashing," Caroline joked and it was the truth. They all looked like they had stepped out of a magazine. "I'm pretty sure Mystic Falls will fall apart the minute we walk through those doors."

Elena grabbed Caroline's hands, dragging her off the bed, "Well, let's not keep keep them waiting." Giggling, they all walked out of her room and down the stairs. Caroline waved at Bill who was standing in the kitchen, phone to his ear. He waved back as the three of them walked out of the house, arms linked.

* * *

"Wake up, sunshine." Kol said, smacking Klaus in the face. Klaus was jolted in his seat, the sketch pad on his lap falling to the ground. Kol laughed at his brother's reaction, "Classic!"

"Really, Kol?" Klaus said angrily, standing up and glaring at his brother. His mind was a little fuzzy as to where he was but glancing around proved he was still in Rebekah's room.

"Oh don't be such a grump," Kol smiled, walking to pick up the sketchbook sprawled on the floor. After opening it and looking at the drawings, he scoffed, "Still drawing that girl, huh?"

"That's none of your damned business," Klaus sneered, ripping the book out of Kol's hands.

Kol made a face of disgust and shrugged, "Whatever, dear brother."

Klaus turned and placed the sketch book on the table next to him, his eyes falling on the melted wax that had dripped down the candelabra, into his glass and onto the table, forming small puddles.

He must have fallen asleep last night. He blinked a few times before speaking.

"What time is it and where is Rebekah?"

"Noon," Kol spoke from the bed, having sprawled his body across it, "And she's with Elijah in the parlor."

"And Finn?"

Kol sighed, "Long gone."

Klaus attempted to wipe the charcoal from his hands on his shirt, but failed. He needed to clean himself up.

"Fantastic," he annoyingly replied, heading towards the Rebekah's bathroom. He had turned on the faucet, washing his hands when Kol spoke from the doorway.

"I'm bored. Let's get out of the house."

Klaus rolled his eyes, the water turning black in the sink. _His younger brother was always such a nuisance._

"We need to stay here and take care of Rebekah," Klaus said, flicking the excess water off of his hands and turning the faucet off. When he turned to grab a towel, Kol quickly grabbed it.

"Oh, come on brother. We could all use a little fresh air," Kol taunted, dangling the towel in front of Klaus' face.

Klaus took a deep breath before ripping the towel out of his hands. _This was ridiculous, childish_. After drying his hands, he walked around Kol and back into the bedroom, grabbing his sketch book and heading for the door.

Kol called out to him, "We can all go, together! You, me, Rebekah. Even Elijah."

Klaus turned the handle on the door, "I don't think so, Kol." He said, making a face, stepping out into the hallway, hoping to find Rebekah soon and find out how she was doing. He didn't want to go anywhere, not even with Rebekah tagging along. She needed to stay home and stay safe. After seeing her so broken and scared yesterday, he knew that she needed to slowly adjust to the idea of being human, under their watchful eye.

He was halfway down the stairs when he saw Rebekah and Elijah waiting by the door. His brow furrowed.

"Well, don't you look awful," Rebekah commented, looking over his dirty shirt and face. "Go get dressed, we're going out." She voice was harsh and cruel, typical Rebekah demeanor.

Klaus went to speak but Kol interrupted him, "He was just doing that, weren't you brother?" Klaus turned to see Kol leaning against the banister, smirking. _You've got to be kidding me_, Klaus thought. His gaze turned to Elijah who immediately held his hands up and shook his head.

"I have no say, brother, if that isn't already painfully obvious."

Klaus turned his stare to Rebekah who raised her eyebrow demandingly. Klaus, defeated, took a deep breath before turning on his heels and heading back up the stairs. He glared daggers at Kol.

"Wonderful," Kol smiled, clasping his hands together in amusement as Klaus disappeared down the hall and into his bedroom.

Fifteen minutes later Klaus emerged, clean and dressed, and headed back down the stairs. His family members had retreated into the living room and were waiting for him.

"Took long enough," Rebekah said, not looking up from her nails.

"Satisfied?" Klaus demanded, holding his hands out displaying his grey v-neck shirt with a black blazer and black denim jeans. His typical look, nothing special.

Rebekah smiled widely, standing up and crossing to him, "You look … mediocre." She smirked, walking passed him, her heels clinking on the floor. Klaus shook his head, his mouth in a hard line as Kol laughed, patting him on the shoulder.

"There, there. Don't let our sister's smart mouth ruin our beautiful day."

"Too late." Klaus said as he watched his family members all leave the house one-by-one. As he followed them into the sunshine, he took a deep breath in an attempt at reassurance, shutting the door tightly behind him.

* * *

"I am so hungry," Caroline impatiently cried, tapping her fingers on the table. Since it was the lunch rush, the place was completely packed and they had been waiting for their food for thirty minutes.

They had decided to go to the Grill for lunch, realizing, after they entered, that it might have a bad idea. Elena, after much persistence, had convinced them to stay and now they were regretting that decision immensely.

"Maybe one of us should go see what's taking so long," Bonnie suggested, placing the menu down that she had been fumbling with since they ordered. Elena nodded in agreement.

"I'll do it," Caroline said, standing up. "I'm sure I can get them to hurry up." She winked at them, stepping around another table and walking towards the bar. She was always the one to get what she wanted, always the one for any type of confrontation. Her attitude and flair were her gift and she loved when she got to flaunt them proudly.

Since there wasn't a single spot to stand by the bar, Caroline was forced to head to the end, by the entrance, away from where the bartender was standing. _How is this place so packed?_She complained silently, waiting impatiently for someone to come talk to her.

She glanced back at Elena and Bonnie who were watching her. They waved and she shrugged her shoulders dramatically, causing them to laugh.

She really was enjoying the time they were spending together. From what she could remember, they were never this close. _What had changed?_ She thought, fiddling with a napkin that was resting on the bar. _Was it me? Did I change? _Her mind wandered, coming up with a few different scenarios. Hell, she was dating Tyler now apparently, so a lot of things could have changed. All she knew was that she sure felt different, although she didn't know how or why. All she knew was there was an emptiness within her now, like a part of her being had been ripped out.

She was instantly snapped out of her thoughts when the door behind her opened, a gust of cold air surrounding her. The sensation sent shivers down her spine causing her to turn around.

She was instantly filled with curiosity at the new faces that entered the bar.

A beautiful, tall blonde stood in the doorway wearing stilettos and an outfit that trumped any other in the building. Caroline's mouth dropped at the sight and she felt a familiar pang of jealousy as the girl sauntered past her, smirking. _Who is she?_ She wondered.

Her eyes then fell onto two dark-haired men, both tall and both equally gorgeous. One was smiling brightly, meeting her gaze and raising an eyebrow. She blushed instantly, turning her gaze away to meet the other man's whose mouth rested in a thin line. He looked away from her and scowled, following after the other two. _They must be together,_Caroline thought as she turned to watch them head past the bar and towards an empty table close to Bonnie and Elena's.

Caroline met her friend's eyes and saw a look of panic cross their features. _What was so wrong?_ She asked herself. _Was she supposed to know these people?_

Another gust of wind surged past her then, sending her hair flying in front of her face. Caroline watched Elena's mouth drop open and Bonnie slowly stand up. Caroline stood frozen, her hands gripping the napkin in front of her.

She turned around slowly, unsure who she would see, when she froze, her eyes locked forward.

Standing there before her, mouth agape, was _him._

**Epic cliffhanger to leave you guys for the holidays. I should be able to update later this week once all the turkey has been eaten. **  
**Don't forget to review review review!  
Also, come find me on tumblr: sweetklausoline**

**Happy Thanksgiving everyone!**


	12. Desperates

**So this chapter is in two points of view: first Klaus' and then Caroline's.  
This chapter weirdly enough was a little difficult to write for some reason.  
I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own The Vampire Diaries, and I have no rights to any of it.

_Desperates_

They stood there, unmoving and silent, frozen in time while the world continued around its axis. Their eyes were locked, blinking only when necessary. _Does she recognize me?_ He thought. _She must._

Klaus' desperately tore his eyes from hers to look her over. He hadn't expected to see her now, see her here, standing before him. She looked breathtaking per the usual and he swallowed hard, his eyes trailing over her. She was standing there, questioning him with her gaze. It made him unbelievably weak and nervous. Her weight was shifting between each foot and her hands was strangling the napkin within her grasp. He could see the rapid thoughts moving behind her eyes and he knew it was only a matter of time before they spoke. But, even if he had words to say, he wouldn't know how to speak them. Not right now, not in this dazing moment with her. His mouth slowly fell open in an attempt at anything ...

"Nik!" A voice rang out, breaking them both from their stupor. Klaus took a much needed deep breath as he quickly turned his gaze to meet Rebekah's wide eyes, arms crossed in front of her. She was glaring at him, silently screaming at him to move and join them. His gaze turned back to Caroline, but she had turned around, facing away from him towards the bar.

Their moment was gone and his lips made a thin line as he cursed himself.

Moving from the entrance, Klaus made his way to the table his brothers were occupying. He passed Elena and Bonnie on the way and smirked at their dazzled faces. They were uncomfortable and nervous. _Good, they should be._Taking his seat next to Rebekah, his gaze moved once more to the blonde at the end of the bar. As their gaze met, she turned away, embarrassed. He smirked at the sight.

"Wipe that stupid grin off your face. She doesn't even remember you," Rebekah threw a menu in front of him, annoyed. He glared at her through the corner of his eyes.

"Watch it Bekah," he growled. Rebekah rolled her eyes at his threat, taking a sip of the water that had been resting on the table before her.

"You can't dagger me anymore, Nik. To silence me, you're gonna have to kill me."

"Enough," Elijah demanded, crossing his arms and staring between them. Their eyes shot up and met their older brother's. "We have things to discuss, things to plan. We don't have time for petty arguments."

Rebekeh rolled her eyes and turned her attention to her menu while Klaus ran his tongue over his top lip, shaking his head. His eyes slowly stole a peek at the bar and saw Caroline was gone. His heart immediately dropped. Elijah continued talking.

"We need to figure out our financial situation …" Elijah's voice slowly became part of the background as Klaus tuned him out. _Did she leave? _He desperately wondered.

His eyes quickly moved back to Elena and Bonnie's table and he breathed a sigh of relief to see Caroline sitting at the table, her attention on her food. She was so close to him, just a few tables away. He licked his lips again, his eyes unable to tear themselves from her solemn face. She had recognized him _.. hadn't she?_His mind was running too fast for him to control.

"Klaus!" Elijah said harshly, snapping Klaus' attention back to their conversation. He had barely heard what they had been discussing.

"Yes, Elijah," Klaus rolled his eyes. "Please … do go on."

Elijah's lips were in a fine line, his brow furrowed.

"This is important, Klaus. You must know that." Elijah's gaze moved between his siblings. His voice moved to a whisper, "We can't compel our way anymore. We need to make a plan." He waved towards the waitress who made her way to them. Everyone minus Klaus, who refused saying he wasn't hungry, quickly ordered. Kol gave the waitress a wink, causing her to blush as she left them alone again.

"We have enough money to last us until we, pathetically, die as humans. What more do we need to discuss?" Klaus asked impatiently, his eyes moving over to look at Caroline every few seconds, she never returned his gaze. He secretly hoped she would.

Her phone rang then and he read her lips when she told Elena the name. _Stefan._

He was suddenly too nauseous and anxious to sit in the same room with her. The whole situation made him uncomfortable. Stefan was getting too close to her and he really needed to have a talk with the boy before he said too much. If she didn't know who he was by now, she would soon. The thought frustrated him.

She obviously didn't know who he was or she didn't seem to care because she just sat there, ignoring him, and it drove him mad. _He needed to leave before he imploded._Elijah began talking about Rebekah returning to school tomorrow, like normal, and Kol accompanying her. Kol was not happy at the news.

"You must be joking," Kol snapped to Elijah.

"I'm sorry to say that I am not."

Kol shot out of his seat instantly, his eyes narrowed, "I don't have to do anything I don't want to do. I don't have to abide by you lot."

Frustrated, Klaus sneered at Kol, "Sit down and do as you're told, you child" Kol made a frightened face before slowly sitting down, crossing his arms in defiance. Klaus ran his hand over his forehead. _This was becoming infuriating._He shouldn't have to babysit nor play the parental figure.

The movement from the table across from their's caught his attention. His tired eyes quickly looked over his brother's shoulder to catch her standing up, leaving.

He was surprised then when her eyes turned and meet his. Just as before, there was a bubbling tension lingering in the air, stronger this time, even with the distance between them. He wanted nothing more than to go to her, talk to her. Tell her that he wasn't really the monster Stefan or, even her friend's, were making him out to be. At least, he couldn't be anymore.

Before he could make another thought, she had broken her gaze and was walking away, her blonde curls bouncing up and down with each step. His eyes followed until she was gone.

"She looks good walking away from you," Kol snickered, poking fun at him.

Klaus kicked him hard under the table causing Kol to yelp.

"Don't." Klaus threatened. "Just ... don't."

She was gone now and he was unsure the next time he would see her. His mind began racing with ideas for how to talk to her, see her again, as his family incessantly continued talking about their impending future as mortals.

* * *

There he was. Her last mystery man. _Klaus._

She gulped nervously, looking into the deep blue eyes across from hers. Once again he was penetrating her very being, but, in this quick moment, something was different about his gaze. His eyes didn't contain that terrifying glaze that had frightened her in the hospital. They were instead soft, confused and torn. He broke his gaze from hers and slowly gave her a once over, causing her to immediately blush. She returned the favor, trying to memorize his face, his messy blonde curls and broad shoulders. Her pulse quickened in anticipation as he slowly opened his mouth, perhaps to speak.

"Nick!" A voice rang out causing Caroline to turn her head quickly. There was the tall blonde glaring at _… Nick? _Caroline's eyes grew wide, realizing her mistake.

Without thinking, she spun away from them, facing the bar and biting her lower lip. Her mind was running with conflicting thoughts, trying to make some sense. His name was Nick, not Klaus._ How embarrassing_, she groaned. She had just ogled some guy named Nick.

She felt him walk away, obviously joining the other blonde. She turned her head slowly to see them head to a nearby table, passing Elena and Bonnie who were doing nothing but glaring them down. _Well, at least they aren't strangers._

_Of course I know him_, she continued. He had been at the hospital and had been, somewhat, concerned for her that morning. _Hadn't he?_ Placing her head in her hands, learning on the bar, she exhaled in confusion. _There's another guy? God, have I become the town harlot?_She turned again to look at their table. He was sitting next to the drop dead gorgeous blonde.

_Apparently not, _she sighed,_ They must be a couple_. That would make sense. Maybe he was just a friend?

His eyes met hers suddenly and she quickly realized she had been staring, turning her face away._ Seriously, this is just awful._ She peered down at her hands, contemplating leaving and heading home. _Bonnie and Elena wouldn't miss her that much, right?_As if on cue, there was a hand on her arm.

"Caroline, you okay?" Bonnie spoke. Caroline jerked her head up, looking at her friend. She nodded, blushing slightly.

"Yeah. Totally. I'm fine, why wouldn't I be fine?" Caroline nervously giggled, running her hand through her hair. Her eyes looked quickly over to their table and she saw their food had arrived. Slowly walking around Bonnie, she headed back to sit down, her eyes set on the ground in front of her. The temptation to glance up at this Nick guy was there, but she wouldn't be embarrassed again. This was, once again, too overwhelming for her.

Once she was seated, she dug into her food quickly in an attempt to distract her thoughts. Elena and Bonnie were silent. For five minutes, no one said a word.

It was Caroline who snapped from the tension.

"Okay," She put her fork down harshly into her salad, glaring up to meet her best friend's eyes. "I have to know ... who are they?"

"Who?" Elena asked. Caroline tilted her head and raised her eyebrows, knowing for damn sure that Elena knew who she was referring to in that moment.

"You know who."

Elena bit her lower lip, raising her soda to her mouth to take a drink. Caroline made an impatient face before turning to Bonnie, who just cleared her throat.

"They are the Mikaelson's." Bonnie finally spoke, leaning in to whisper. Caroline and Elena followed suit, all three of them sneaking glances at the table. The waitress has just left them and they were all deep in conversation, not noticing their gazes.

"Mikaelson's? When did they move into town?"

"A few months ago. They live on the old Peterson estate."

Caroline's eyes grew wide. _The Peterson estate?_

"So they are loaded," Caroline concluded, sneaking a glance at the family sitting at the nearby table. _I wonder what they are talking about_, she pondered. Her eyes grazed Nick's face and his soft curls, his tight body beneath that … she quickly looked away at her food. _Stop it. He's not Klaus. You don't even know him. Creepy much, Caroline? _

"As well as rude, crude, and socially unacceptable," Elena added, returning to her chicken tenders, a look of disdain on her face. Caroline noticed the tension in her friend's voice. _We don't like them, do we?_Her face fell immediately at the thought.

"We don't … like them?" She finally asked, taking a bite out of her salad.

"No. We don't. They cause too much trouble. They just ... hurt everyone they meet in some way," Elena stumbled with her words. Caroline's brow furrowed as she took another bite of her salad, her eyes concentrating on her friend's. _They were hiding something from her._

She was startled from her thought when her phone rang in her pocket. Quickly running her hand to it, she brought it up to her face to read the name.

_Stefan. _

She swallowed the food in her mouth and took a breath._ Should she answer?_

"Who is it?" Elena asked curiously.

"It's … Stefan." Caroline answered. Elena's gaze immediately turned to her food.

"Are you gonna answer it?" Elena hesitantly asked. Caroline noticed the sadness when she spoke and shook her head.

"No." Caroline hit the ignore button. "It's girl time, remember?"

Elena's head shot up and gave her a small smile.

"Besides, he's your boyfriend. You should probably talk to him, not me." Caroline said, remembering her conversation with Stefan the night before. He had told her that he and Elena were dating ... after she embarrassingly asked if they were together._ This whole memory loss thing is really making me look desperate and pathetic._

"Actually, was … he was my boyfriend," Elena's voice trailed off as she put the last bit of her food in her mouth, turning her gaze away from Caroline's. Bonnie lifted her eyebrow, slightly shaking her head.

"Oh my god," Caroline reached out to grab Elena's hand. "I'm so sorry. What happened?" She was genuinely concerned for her friend. _Yeah right you're concerned_, the voice deep in her brain coaxed sarcastically. Stop it, brain.

Caroline quickly shook the thought from her mind and continued, "He told me you were together. Did something happen last night? Are you okay?" She began rambling, typical Caroline style.

Elena sat there, speechless for a few seconds before answering, "Actually, it's a rather long story …" She tucked her hair behind her ear. "But to make it short, yeah, it's pretty much over. I'm okay about it. At least, I think I am."

"You aren't .. mad he called me, are you?" Caroline asked, worried. She was liking this new bond she, apparently, shared with them and didn't want to risk ruining that by getting close to Elena's ex. Elena shook her head.

"No. Of course not." She gave a small smile. "You guys are really close. Please don't ruin your friendship on my account." Caroline returned the smile before diving deep into thought again. _Stefan and I are close. How close I wonder … _

Bonnie put down her fork harshly, quickly changing the subject, "Well, I'm full …" She stood up, reaching into her purse to grab her wallet. "We should get going if we want to catch all the stores in time for closing." Her eyes were focused on Caroline's immovable fork that now hung in the air before her face. Caroline quickly ate the contents before giving a slight nervous giggle.

Bonnie walked away to go pay the bill while Caroline finished the contents on her plate. Elena didn't say any more about the subject and, although she was incredibly curious about the so-called breakup, she didn't want to push the subject further. She had finished her food when Bonnie returned. They all stood up to leave and Caroline's eyes, against her control, snapped to the table across from theirs.

He was staring at her intensely again. She bit the inside of her cheek, blinking a few times. She had been so sure he was Klaus and now she felt even more concerned that she had some weird connection to this mysterious Nick guy who, according to Elena, probably was some rich asshole. She clenched her jaw, cursing herself. _This is all just too confusing._

She turned quickly then, heading towards the door to the restaurant. She made sure not to turn and look at him again. She repeated to herself over and over again as she walked away, attempting to build her self-confidence, "I am Caroline Forbes and I'm not desperate." Her heels clicked with each step on the hardwood floors, as she maneuvered her way through the crowd. She stopped, however, right at the door, making sure she was out of his line of sight, before dropping her shoulders. _Who am I kidding? I couldn't be more desperate if I tried,_ she bit her lower lip in defeat as she opened the door and stepped out into the chilly town.

**Uh-Oh. Definitely some miscommunication in Mystic Falls. **  
**What did you guys think of the chapter?**

**Next chapter:**  
**Caroline heads back to school, makes an unexpected friend, and STEROLINE/KLAROLINE moments galore. **

**Don't forget to review review review! **


	13. Tears

**Alright. I promised a super long chapter and, after writing it, I decided to split it into two. I also decided to double update to give both of them to you at once. I hope you guys enjoy these two chapters. Lots of stuff going on.**

_Tears_

Caroline waved to Elena and Bonnie as they drove off, leaving her on the front porch of her house. It was almost dark and she was carrying multiple bags full with almost anything and everything she could imagine: clothes, lotions, a romance movie from the past year, a new picture frame and a fresh, new diary. They had gone to almost every single store in town after her father had called telling her to "shop until she dropped" and that is exactly what she did.

She fumbled with the door knob, swinging the door open. There were lights on throughout the house. She wondered who was home.

"Hello? I'm home," Caroline called out, pushing the door closed behind her. No one answered. Curious, she placed her bags on the floor in the foyer before heading towards the kitchen. She heard a few voices talking softly. She approached the corner of the wall, listening in.

"So she hasn't been home all day?"

There was a ruffling of papers, "No, I'm afraid. Elena and Bonnie took her out all day. Hoping to distract her. It's a good thing, exactly what she needs right now."

It was her father talking to Stefan. _What was he doing here?_She wondered, leaning in closer to listen.

Her father continued, "I appreciate your concern for her. She really needs a good supportive friend right now."

"I promised once to take care of her and make sure she's safe. I wouldn't dare go back on that promise."

There was a silence between them.

Her father finally spoke with a serious tone, "Just as long as your intentions are honorable. She's gone through so much, I can't stand to see her getting hurt. I won't tolerate her falling prey to anyone again."

His words rang in her ears. _Prey?_

"You can trust me. I promise."

There was silence again. Caroline took this as a clue to make her presence known and she tiptoed back to the door, opening it and slamming it harder this time. She ran her hands over her bags, making it sound like she was fumbling with them before calling out louder.

"I'm home. Anyone here?" She stood there, waiting.

Stefan's head peeked around the corner, a smile across his face. She smiled back softly and mouthed, "Hi" to him. He was about to mouth something back when her father stepped into view and headed her way. He stopped in front of her, running his hand over her hair.

"Have fun today, sweetie?" Caroline nodded, pointing to her bags.

"I bought everything they had ... as promised." She gave him a small smile.

"That's my girl." He reached down and kissed her head. She couldn't contain the glee in her heart. Her father was here and he was staying for the time being. She had missed him so much.

She remembered what she had bought, "Daddy," she reached down and fumbled through her bags. "I bought a movie. Want to watch it with me?" He gave a small smile, shaking his head softly and looking her in the eyes.

"I'm exhausted, sweetie. Besides," he glanced down at the DVD. "Romances aren't really my thing." Caroline's heart sank a little.

"I don't mind them," Stefan spoke quietly behind her father. Bill stepped away from Caroline, turning to look at him. Caroline's heart surged as she saw him lean against the wall, smiling at her.

"Excellent," her father said, turning back to Caroline. "I'm going to head to bed. I'll just crash in your mother's until she gets home later tonight. Enjoy your movie, Caroline." He gave her another kiss on her head before heading into the other room, leaving her and Stefan alone.

"So," Stefan took a few steps towards her. "What are we watching?" Caroline held up the DVD in front of her face, peering over it with her blue eyes.

"The Vow" She looked down at the cover, "Bonnie said it was really good and that I -" Her voice cut off, her breath hitching in her throat. Stefan looked down at her with a serious look. She continued, "That I really liked it when it came out." She bit the inside of her cheek, fighting back unwanted tears. She was getting really sick of all of the things she couldn't remember and all the memories she would probably never get back.

"Oh, Caroline," Stefan whispered, taking another step towards her. They were now inches apart. Caroline's heart skipped a beat when he raised his hand up to rub his thumb across her cheek, wiping away the single tear that had fallen. She stared up into his green eyes, his forehead pressed together in a few lines. He looked concerned, his lips pressed together tightly. _His lips …_She blinked slowly moving her eyes from his lips to his beautiful green eyes. His gaze consumed her, the air between them growing warm.

_Stop,_a voice deep inside her mind screamed at her.

Shaking her head, she quickly pulled away, looking down. She ran her hand over her face to remove the other stray tears that had escaped.

"Silly me," She spoke, taking a few steps away from Stefan, leaving him in the foyer while she walked into the living room. "Getting all emotional for no reason. Typical Caroline, right?" She ripped the plastic off the DVD, internally debated with herself, as she placed it in the player and turned the TV on.

_What are you thinking? He's a friend, a good friend_, she bit her lower lip, turning to see him sit down on the couch and give her a concerned smile.

_A really hot, broody friend with a huge sensitive side._

The movie started playing and she sat down on the couch next to him, making sure they weren't touching. She didn't know if she could stand it.

They watched the movie in silence. Caroline had wanted to talk to him about a few things that were plaguing her every thought, but she soon found that she couldn't rip her eyes off the screen. Bonnie had been a little cautious when she said she wanted to buy it, that it probably wasn't the best thing to watch right now. But, Caroline didn't care. She needed something to relate to and this movie seemed like the best option.

Within the first fifteen minutes, Caroline knew why Bonnie had warned her of it. Tears welling up behind her eyes as she watched Paige and Leo in the hospital, his heart broken after she confused him for her doctor. Caroline looked how scared she was, how shocked. The movie was exactly how she had felt, confused and lost in a world she couldn't remember.

The next thing she knew, she was being pulled into Stefan's arms. She leaned her head on his shoulder as he ran his hand over her head in comfort. They stayed like this for the remainder of the movie. She didn't try to pull away once. She needed this, she needed someone to just hold her.

That is until the last scene in the movie when the words popped up on the screen: _She never regained her memory._

Caroline shot up out of his embrace, her lips trembling. She had been softly crying throughout the movie, but now she was about to burst out sobbing. Without saying a word, she ran out of the living and burst into her room, shutting the door closed. Her hand ran up to her face as the sobs broke free for the first time. She wandered to her bed, sitting down on the edge. Her chest was heaving with each breath.

She hadn't let herself really cry since she woke up because she knew she had to be stronger than that. She figured, with time, that it would all come back. For the first time though, she realized that it might not ... and the thought broke her.

Her sobs were running rampant and she was growing dizzy from her rapid breathing. She tore herself from her bed and ran to the window, throwing it open to breath in the cool air. She closed her eyes as she kneeled down and crossed her arms on the ledge. Slowly placing her head down on her arms, she stayed there. After awhile, her breathing was slowly returning to normal, her eyes incapable of producing anymore tears.

There was a knock on the door.

Caroline didn't turn around as she heard Stefan enter and close the door behind him. She stayed planted in front of the window, peering into the night. The wind was blowing small pieces of her hair across her face.

Stefan was next to her now, leaning against her desk. He held out a small mug to her.

"Drink this. It'll make you feel better," he softly spoke.

Caroline looked up at the steaming white mug he was holding towards her and took it without saying a word, bringing it to her lips. After taking a sip, she smiled. It was the perfect temperature.

"May I?" Stefan asked, pointing next to her. She scooted over, allowing him to kneel beside her and gaze out the window. There wasn't much to see, but there was something about the cool air that made the moment relaxing. Caroline turned her head slightly, looking at him as he gazed forward into the night.

The moonlight brought out his intense jawline and she gulped when his eyes turned to meet hers.

"You okay?" He asked, taking a sip of the mug in his hand. She nodded.

"Yeah. I'm sorry about running like that. I just .." She shook her head, embarrassed. "... didn't want you seeing me like that, upset and everything."

Stefan looked her dead in the eyes, "Don't be embarrassed. You have every right to be emotional right now. You've been through so much." His eyes were soft and comforting and his kind words brought a smile to her face.

After taking another sip, she asked quietly, "So, I take it we're really good friends, huh?"

"Something like that," He chuckled. "I might even consider you my best friend right now …" His voice then suddenly trailed, his serious face returning. Caroline knew what he was referring to.

"I know, Stefan, Elena told me." She said, placing her hand on his. He clenched his teeth, his jawline moving slightly with the movement. He looked down at the mug in his hands, the cold air blowing the steam across the top.

"Yeah … that." He sighed. "Been kind of needing someone to talk to about it." Caroline placed her head on her arms again and looked at him.

"You know I'm all ears." She sipped her mug.

Stefan took a deep breath before speaking, "Elena and I were together for the past year. Inseparable almost. My best friend." His voice broke when he said this.

A realization hit Caroline, "You loved her ... "

"Yep," He turned and placed his empty mug on the desk next to him and returned his hands to the window, draping them over the edge. Caroline noticed the tension in his hands as he clasped at his long fingers.

"What happened?" Caroline asked intensely after finishing the tea in her mug with one last swig.

"Damon is what happened." Stefan replied. Caroline's brow furrowed. _Damon?_

Stefan noticed her confused look and, with much pain, said, "My brother."

Caroline's eyes grew wide. _You have got to be kidding me. Elena, you slut._She jutted out her jaw in anger at the idea of her friend cheating on Stefan.

"Don't look that way," Stefan pleaded. "I don't need your pity, please, and I don't need you angry at Elena." Caroline was confused.

"She … cheated on you ... with your brother." Caroline made an unpleasant face. "I have every right to be upset. That's just awful." She shook her head in disgust. _Elena will be hearing from me,_she thought.

"But I let it happen, I let it go on," Stefan said. "I knew what was happening all along and I just let her do it. I guess, for some reason, I would always figure she would choose me, that she loved me more." He shook his head, looking away. Caroline knew he was hiding tears.

She reached then and turned him to face her, grasping him into a hug, wrapping her arms around his neck. He didn't hesitate once to run his arms around her back and squeeze tightly. This time, it was Caroline's turn to comfort him.

He rested his chin on her shoulder and breathed slowly, holding back his emotions. He couldn't break down like this in front of her. She needed him to be strong for her. He needed to be strong for himself.

After a long, silent hug, they pulled away. Stefan's serious face had disappeared and she gazed into the eyes of a broken man.

Caroline made sure to look him dead in the eyes when she spoke next, "Stefan, come to me. Whenever you want, okay? I won't let you lose it. I promise, I'll always be here for you."

"Thank you, Caroline" Stefan said. "I'll always be here for you too."

They exchanged smiles. The moment was pure innocence. Just two friends comforting each other. _Just friends..._that ever annoying voice in her mind poked at her. She took a defeated breath, looking out the window again. Stefan took the silence as his cue to leave.

"I should probably go," He stood up. Caroline joined him.

"Thanks for tonight," She tucked her hair behind her ear. "It was nice."

"Yeah," Stefan agreed. "It really was." He then pulled her into another short hug before heading towards the window. Before he stepped out, he turned and faced her, "So school tomorrow? Your father mentioned you were going to go?"

"Seems like it, I guess." Caroline exhaled a deep breath.

"Want me to take you? Moral support and all?" He asked innocently. Caroline slowly nodded, thrilled he would offer.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early."

Caroline groaned loudly, "Don't remind me." Her annoyance made Stefan chuckle as he stepped outside.

"You'll survive. You're stronger than you think." He gave her a wink before walking away. Caroline walked over to the window, watching him walk away. She closed the window, pulling her curtains and leaned against the soft fabric.

"I'm not so sure."

* * *

Stefan walked away from her house, his hands buried deep into his pockets. There was a genuine smile across his face from tonight's events. He was getting her back, his best friend back. He honestly didn't think it would happen this quickly. He was so glad it had.

He was heading down the street towards the boarding house, shivering from the chill, cursing himself for not riding his motorcycle tonight. He had been able to pull it out of the garage and get it working earlier that day, but he was a little cautious about it. He hadn't ever driven one while human and, for some reason, the thought made him nervous. He had thought walking would be a better bet, give him some fresh air to think, but now it was just too chilly to think about it. He turned to look back at her house, seeing her light turned off, hoping she would sleep well tonight. He sighed at the thought.

"How did I know I'd find you here," a voice spoke behind him. He was startled, but only for a second when he recognized the voice.

"Klaus …" He turned to meet the eyes of the Original hybrid. _No,_ he said to himself. _He's human now_. "What do you want?"

Klaus took a few steps towards him, his hands clasped behind his back, "Why is it that everytime we're together you expect that I want something from you?"

Stefan crossed his arms, "Because usually you do and right now, I don't have the patience to deal with whatever it is you are going to say." He turned to walk away when Klaus voice stopped him.

"I see you and Caroline are getting quite close."

Stefan stopped walking before speaking, "You were watching us, weren't you?" He heard Klaus cackle behind him.

"Indeed and, I might add, you too were looking a little too close for my comfort." The tone in his voice sent Stefan spinning around.

"You know, this infatuation you have with her needs to stop. She's in a delicate state right now and doesn't need anything from you." Stefan demanded, taking a few steps towards Klaus.

"And she needs something from you?" Klaus asked, his eyes narrowed.

"She needs a friend and that's what I am for her. Nothing else, Klaus." He raised an eyebrow. "I won't play with her emotions, confuse her. I'm not like you."

Before Stefan knew what was happening, Klaus had him pinned to the ground a hand around his neck. The movement knocked the air out of him as he grasped at Klaus' wrist, surprised by his strength. _What the hell?_

Klaus noticed the surprise in his eyes before the words slipped smoothly off his tongue, "Surprised?" He leaned in and whispered in Stefan's ear, his breath hot on Stefan's neck, "I'd do best not to anger me, mate. The wolf might come out to play."

Stefan tried to say something back but the grip on his neck was preventing him. Klaus gave a small smirk, before loosening his grip slightly, letting Stefan breath. He gasped loudly.

"You know," Klaus tilted his head, "I sometimes miss the days when I used to like you. But now, because of recent developments, I'm starting to dislike you more than I'd wish. Let's just say … that right now, I wouldn't think twice before killing you. Push me hard enough Stefan and I will." He sneered, releasing Stefan for good and standing up straight, running his hands over his jacket.

Stefan sat up on his elbows, rubbing his neck and gazing dazed at Klaus. _He was still a werewolf? Great, just great_.

"You obviously want something ... might as well tell me." Stefan breathlessly spoke. Klaus looked over at Caroline's house, his lips in a straight line. He seemed conflicted about what he was going to ask.

"I just wish to know," Klaus hesitated. "What you have told her about me?"

Stefan was taken aback at his question.

"That's it? That's all you want?"

Klaus ran his tongue over his top lip, closing his eyes in annoyance.

"Actually, no. I'd like you to quit making eyes at Caroline," His eyes moved to meet Stefan's surprised. "But you can't always get what you want, now can you?"

Stefan replied surprised, "What are you talking about Klaus?"

Klaus crossed to stand in front of him, his voice raspy as he spoke, "You may be fooling yourself, but you don't fool me. I'm no simpleton."

Stefan rolled his eyes, "You're ridiculous, you know that. It's pathetic." Klaus clenched his fists as Stefan continued, "If you must know, I haven't mentioned you at all. She has enough going on trying to figure out who I am, what happened to her. I didn't want to bother her with thoughts of you ... and the monster you really are."

The was a loud smack as Klaus' fist connected with the side of Stefan's face sending him to the ground. Klaus chest heaved with anger as he peered down at Stefan, unconscious, on the ground.

After realizing his indiscretion, he growled turning away in an attempt to calm down. His rage was overcoming him and he knew it was the wolf's aggression breaking through his skin. He was on fire. He didn't want to harm Stefan, he just couldn't control his emotions. He was slowly beginning to realize why he was able to sire so many hybrids. This curse was absolute torture.

Once Klaus had his breathing under control, his mind a little clearer, he walked back to Stefan, defeated. There was blood slowly seeping out of a cut on his temple, a bruise slowly forming where his fist had connected. Klaus bent down and picked him up, draping him over his shoulder. He turned back and looked at Caroline's house once more time before walking in the direction of the Salvatore house.

* * *

Caroline jolted up out of sleep, breathing heavily.

There was a massive pain behind her eyes and she cried out in pain, reaching up to touch her face.

Her eyes widened when she felt blood under her fingers and then her hand fell upon a hole in her skull. She screamed, her forehead on fire. The pain sent her fingers deep into the hole, pulling the bullet out. As soon as the bullet was in her hand, the pain stopped and she dropped it in shock. _What is happening to me?_

Her eyes drifted up to look around and she noticed she was stuck in a cage. Panic overtook her then and she reached up, grasping at the bars in front of her. She looked around frantically before reaching her arm through the bars to try and reach the lock on the cage. The distance was further than she could reach and she strained with all of her might.

She then heard a noise close to her and the sudden sound caused her to retreat backwards against the back of the cage.

"I see you got the bullet out," a voice cackled close to her. She soon met the unknown eyes of a man, sitting across from her staring. "That was nasty."

Caroline broke out in quiet sobs as she stared at the man, terrified.

He narrowed his eyes and pointed a gun at her, "I've got a lot of wooden bullets, lots of toys. Gonna be a long night, sweet pea."

A shot rang out as he pulled the trigger.

.

.

.

**Okay. Intense ending. Now you know why I wanted to split the chapters. **

**Also, I know ****_The Vow_**** came out in 2012 .. I just thought I'd break canon in regards to timeline and let them watch it. **

**I'll be posting the next chapter asap.**

**Don't forget to review review review!**


	14. Smiles

**Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it!**

_Smiles_

Caroline shot up out of bed screaming, her heart beating in her chest. The sunlight poured into her bedroom, blinding her. She broke out in loud sobs as she pushed herself back against the headboard, clutching at her forehead. She was relieved to find no hole there.

_It was a dream. It was a dream. It was a dream._

The door to her room then slammed open as her mother and father ran in, terror in their eyes.

"Caroline, are you alright?" Her mother said, running to her now frightened daughter. Bill stood at the door looking around for any possible threat. Caroline could barely breath as her mother wrapped her arms around her. "Shhhh, it's okay sweetie. What happened?"

"It was a dream. It was just a dream." Caroline repeated over and over again.

Bill and Liz exchanged glances as Caroline cried in her mother's arms.

* * *

Stefan pulled up to the Forbes' house on his motorcycle, his hand reaching up and clutching the side of his head, wincing at the pain he felt. He remembered seeing Klaus' fist approach his face and then the next thing he knew, he was laying in his bed at home the next morning with a massive headache.

After turning his bike off, he unstrapped his helmet, removing it. Why he had been nervous to ride his bike, he'd never know. The ride was more exhilarating as a human and he couldn't wait to see Caroline's reaction when she saw it.

_She's going to flip, _he laughed as he reached his hand for the doorbell, hearing it ring within the house.

He stood outside and felt the cool wind nipping at his neck and tearing into the cut in his forehead. He knew she was going to ask him about it. _Should he lie?_

Liz answered the door, a look of fear in her eyes.

"Stefan …" She looked surprised. "What are you doing here? What happened to your face?" He shifted his weight nervously.

"Caroline said I could accompany her to school this morning and just a little run in with you-know-who." He lifted his eyebrows and rolled his eyes.

Liz blinked a few times, understanding his meaning, before motioning him to step inside. He followed inside, shutting the door behind himself.

"Something's happened to Caroline … " Liz spoke.

"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked, worried. Liz motioned towards Caroline's bedroom, leading Stefan to follow her. As he entered her room, his eyes fell upon Caroline who was sitting in front of her mirror, wearing a robe and slowly brushing her hair, deep in thought. Liz reached over and whispered in his ear.

"She had a nightmare last night and it's really affecting her. She won't tell me what happened," Liz walked over to place her hands on Caroline's shoulders.

"Look sweetie, Stefan's here."

Caroline looked at him through the mirror, the look on her face was stoic. Stefan furrowed his brow at the sight of her like this. She looked absolutely lost.

She turned then, surprising him, a look of concern for him in her eyes, "Stefan, what happened to your face?"

He shot a glance at Liz and she nodded in return. After placing a kiss on Caroline's head, Liz left the room, clicking the door shut behind her.

Caroline jumped out of her seat, broken from the trance that had enslaved her since she woke up that morning. She ran up to him and pulled him to her bed, her hands clasping his face and turning it over so she could get a better view.

He winced at the sudden movement.

Her fingers traced the edges of the cut and bruise that was now scarring his face. He sat there, letting her.

"It's no big deal," his voice finally broke the silence.

"Are you kidding me?" Caroline looked at him, questioning him. "Who did this?"

Stefan looked into her eyes, wanting to lie. _But he couldn't._

"Klaus ... a guy named Klaus did this." He pulled his face away from her hand.

Caroline's face immediately fell at his words as she whispered his name, "Klaus?" Her hands fell into her lap, she suddenly felt like jello. Like she could just melt to the floor any second.

Her mind began racing trying to decipher what he had just said. _Klaus had hurt Stefan_. The guy who had, apparently, left her some meaningful and romantic drawing ... had hurt her closest friend.

Stefan tried reading her eyes and was surprised to see sadness creeping through her angry exterior. It confused him.

"We just got into a fight. It got a little heated. You should see the other guy!" Stefan tried to force a smile on Caroline's lips. He was unsuccessful, she was too deep in thought. "Caroline …" He pleaded desperately to get her to say something. She finally shook her head.

"You know what," She stood up. "It doesn't matter what happened between you or why he felt the need to bash your skull in. Ugh, the nerve of that guy." She was pacing now in front of him, her eyes narrowed. Stefan's face started to light up at the sight. She was adorable when she was mad.

"That guy's obviously a jerk and we will just need to stay away from him." She concluded. "But if he tries to talk to you or even me, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind." She pointed at Stefan when she said this, driving her point home.

He held his hands up in defense, "I won't stop you." Caroline giggled at this. It was good to see her smile again, he thought.

He left her then so she could finish getting ready. He waited for her in the foyer, standing in front of the mirror that hung in the hallway looking at his face. The bruise was turning a deep purple and the cut reached from the corner of his eye up to the top of his temple. He blanched at the sight of himself.

"I think it makes you look dangerous," Caroline spoke, staring at him from her doorway. She was wearing a pair of tight black jeans, a white cardigan over a tight black top that showed a little too much cleavage. On her feet were a pair of tall black stilettos and her hair was silky smooth and straight. Stefan's eyes widened seeing her like this. She looked so unlike herself. In fact, she reminded him of another blonde.

"What?" She asked, shifting her gaze to look away.

"Nothing," he mumbled. "You just look … different. Not yourself."

"Saw someone wearing something like this the other day ... thought I'd give it a shot." She grabbed her purse, swinging it over her shoulder before winking at him. He stood there in shock as she sauntered around him and headed for the door. He turned to watch her leave the house, a smile breaking on his lips._ That girl,_he thought to himself.

His thoughts were ripped away when he heard her scream.

He ran to the door and peered out at her. She was standing there, pointing at his bike.

"That's yours?" She turned to look at him. He awkwardly nodded, confused. Her gaze fell back on the bike and she gulped.

"Alrighty then," She said, grabbing the helmet resting on the back of it and pulling it over her hair, thanking the heavens she had decided to straighten it. Her hair never fared well after wearing hats or helmets. Stefan shut the door behind him and walked over to her, throwing his leg over the side and pulling his helmet over his head.

Caroline stood nervously, not joining him.

"Hop on," He patted the seat behind him. She shifted nervously, running her hand through her hair.

"I've .. never been on a bike before." She bit her lower lip. Stefan gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's completely safe. Just hold on to me and you'll be fine," He turned the key, roaring the engine to life. Caroline gulped hard as she threw her leg over the side and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing tightly. Stefan smiled to himself as turned the bike around and pulled out of her driveway.

* * *

Caroline ripped the helmet off of her head as she stood next to him, the smile bright on her face. The adrenaline was pumping through her body.

"That was amazing!" She giggled, clapping her hands together.

"Told you," Stefan replied, turning the engine off. They were at the school and there were people everywhere. After deserting the bike, they strolled up towards the school.

Stefan noticed her worried look, "Hey, cheer up. I'll be here all day and we pretty much have the same schedule."

Caroline's face lit up, realizing she would be alone throughout the day. She had felt uneasy about returning to school, but thought it would be the best kind of distraction for her. She looked around and tried to remember as much as she could. She was a little shocked at the different couples she saw._ I'm so out of place,_she thought as she and Stefan pushed open the front doors. After they had retrieved her locker combination and class schedule from the front office, they made their way through the halls.

Caroline's eyes saw a poster for the upcoming decade dance and she immediately lit up inside. _Oh please tell me I'm on the committee for that._

Stefan parted ways from her, promising to be right back. She nodded and continued walking, looking for her locker. After reaching and opening it , she pulled out some books, reading each title to herself._ Calculus, Chemistry, AP English. Seriously?_She looked down at her schedule and saw that the first class was History. Okay, she thought. That should be a breeze.

"Well, don't you look fetching this morning ..." A female voice spoke behind her. Caroline turned around, her mouth falling open at the girl in front of her.

It was the beautiful blonde from the Grill.

"Um … " Caroline stood there nervous, her hand clutching the door to her locker. She didn't know what to say.

"Oh, right. I forgot. You've lost it," Rebekah reached her hand out. "I'm Rebekah Mikaelson. Charmed, I'm sure."

Caroline looked down at her hand before nervously placing hers within her grasp.

"I'm Caroline."

Rebekah quickly spoke, "I know who you are." Caroline was slightly taken aback by her rudeness. "I just came to ask you a question about the dance next weekend."

Caroline's eyes lit up. _Was she the chair of the committee?_

"I was wanting to know if it was too late to change it to a different decade?" Rebekah asked, smoothly without hesitation.

"Um … well ... what decade were you thinking about?" Caroline asked, unsure what decade they had even decided on.

"I was thinking more of the 20's .. The 70's are too flashy," She smirked, "The 20's are sexier, more classic."

Caroline furrowed her brow. _The 70's? Had that been her idea?_

"Um .." She saw Stefan walking up to her now. "You know what, sure. I don't think that would be a problem."

Rebekah's mouth dropped, "You must be joking …"

"Not this time," She shut her locker and turned to walk away. Rebekah blinked a few times in shock. _Maybe she would like this new Caroline …_

"Caroline," Rebekah called out to her, stopping Caroline in her tracks.

"Yes?" Caroline gave a small smile. Being in this girl's presence sure made her nervous. She just couldn't quite place her finger on it.

"We could work through some details later today, if you wanted of course." Rebekah genuinely smiled. Caroline was about to answer when Stefan walked up next to them.

"Go away Rebekah," Stefan glared at the blonde in front of him. Caroline stood there quiet as Rebekah narrowed her eyes.

"Gosh, Stefan … I never tire of your brooding face. Except now. What happened to it?," She reached up to place her hand on the side of his face, he swatted her hand away.

Caroline gasped, stepping in front of him in surprise, "Stefan, don't be rude." She said, defending Rebekah. She turned to look the blonde in the eye, "Some people just don't know how to control their anger." She turned her gaze back to Stefan's who was standing there dumbfounded. She was sending her "judging you" look his way.

Rebekah was also standing there mouth agape._ Had the little blonde actually stood up for her?_

The bell rang, signaling the three minute warning until class would begin. Caroline reached out to grab Stefan's hand, in an attempt to lead him away. She would have a long talk with him later about this.

Rebekah suddenly stopped her, grabbing her arm and bringing her mouth down to her ear, whispering so Stefan couldn't hear, "I'll be waiting outside after school next to my red Mustang if you want to do some party planning later." After she spoke, Rebekah turned on her heels and slinked away into the crowd.

Stefan asked, "What did she say to you?" He was not liking where this was going.

"Nothing …" Caroline lied. "Of importance that is."

Stefan nodded hesitantly as they headed into the classroom together, beginning their day.

Every hour drug on, it seemed and Caroline couldn't concentrate on anything. Stefan had walked with her to and from each class and even joined her for lunch. She had waved for Bonnie and Elena to join them, but when they spotted Stefan, they had shaken their heads and mouthed, "Sorry." Caroline had nodded back in understanding. It would be too soon for her to spend time with Stefan. Plus, she was sure she would rip her a new one if she came close enough.

They were sitting in her final class, the clock slowly ticking away. Caroline was drumming her fingers on her desk, waiting in anticipation. She had decided after lunch to go ahead and take the blonde up on her offer. She really didn't know anything about the 20's and perhaps Rebekah could help her with the details. Plus, the girl just interested her in every way from her confidence to her sense of fashion.

The bell finally rang, causing Caroline to jump out of her seat and head out the door. She and Stefan didn't share last period and she wanted to sneak away from him so he couldn't stop her. She didn't have any serious homework due so she skipped her locker and headed straight for the front door.

"Caroline!" She heard her name being called behind her. _Crap_, she thought as she pushed the front doors open and headed out into the sunshine. She quickly scanned the parking lot before her eyes fell on the Red Mustang. She saw Rebekah walking towards it and picked up her pace.

"Rebekah!" Caroline called out, causing the other blonde to turn around. Rebekah had reached her car and was opening the door.

"Caroline, you decided to take me up on my offer," Rebekah said before hopping into her car. Caroline turned her head and saw Stefan standing at the entrance to the school. She couldn't see his face from the distance, but she could tell he wasn't happy.

"You bet!" Caroline said as opened the car door and stepped inside. Rebekah started the engine, causing some pop music to begin blaring from the speakers. Caroline smiled wide as Rebekah peeled out of the parking.

Stefan watched the drive away, a look of shock on his face.

* * *

Caroline was sitting nervously in the passenger seat of Rebekah's red Mustang as they pulled into the long driveway, leading to the large white mansion perched on the hill. She had never been here, but had heard stories. The stories did not do the place justice. She marveled at the cobble stone driveway, the large arches and balconies.

"Your home is beautiful," Caroline whispered. Rebekeh turned towards her smiling.

"Thanks."

Caroline returned the smile and reached to undo her seatbelt as Rebekah put the car in park. A whiff of cold air moved into the car as she opened the door and stepped out.

Rebekah's heels clanked on the cobblestone driveway as she threw her keys into her purse. Caroline quickly followed Rebekah into the house, letting out a small gasp at the sight before her. The inside was ten times more beautiful than the outside. There was a large foyer that contained a beautiful grand staircase and a sparkling chandelier. Beautiful tapestries lined the walls. Caroline was instantly reminded of the castle from Beauty and the Beast. The thought made her insides jump.

"NIK!" Rebekah called out, turning down a hall. Caroline didn't know where to go, so she stayed put, taking in everything. "NIK WHERE ARE YOU?!" Rebekah called out again, entering the foyer and rejoining Caroline.

"I'm up here, dear sister," a voice boomed from the top of the staircase. Caroline's eyes shot up to look in the direction of the voice. Her breath caught in her throat as a set of penetrating eyes ensnared hers.

Klaus was standing at the top of the stairs, a rag clenched in his fist. He had been wiping paint from his hands when he saw her standing there, in his house. ... looking directly at him. He now stood frozen, his breath stuck in his throat. She looked absolutely beautiful, the sight of her straight hair and pale bosom causing his chest to clench. He bit his lower lip. Had he known she was coming, he would have tried to look nicer. There was paint on his neck and arms and he was embarrassed for her to see him like this.

"Nik!" Rebekah snapped, her arms crossing her chest. Klaus was snapped out of his stupor, putting on a false face, returning to wiping his hands. He began to walk down the stairs towards them.

"Bekah, I swear, one of these you will bite your own tongue clean off from your incessant talking." His eyes never left Caroline's. Her stare was intense, just like at the Grill.

"You're ridiculous," Rebekah retorted, looking at Caroline and noticing the same look on her friend's face. Rebekah rolled her eyes. _This is pathetic,_ she sighed to herself.

Klaus was now at the bottom of the stairs, facing both of them. He placed the rag in his back pocket and waved a finger, deep in thought.

"And you must be …" He asked coyly, his accent as thick as ever. His eyes flew to Caroline's throat as she gave a large gulp and whispered her name.

"Caroline."

Klaus took a step towards her and slowly reached down, grabbing her hand to bring it inches away from his lips. His warm breath on her knuckles made her knees wobbly. _Whoa,_ she thought, her heart pumping rapidly in her chest. The blush on her face reddened.

He looked her dead in the eyes, his eyes penetrating her very being, "What a lovely name, Caroline. It is my utmost pleasure to meet you." He brought his lips down onto her hand leaving a chaste kiss. Caroline let out the breath she had been holding.

"Thank you," was all she could muster to say. His gaze was giving her so many butterflies.

"Gag already," Rebekah said, breaking the moment. Klaus held on for a few seconds more before gently releasing her hand. The smirk on his face grew larger than before as the hand he had kissed shot right into her other hand, as if she was trying to nurse a wound. The look on her face making him chuckle inside. He was affecting her, in a good way he could tell.

Rebekah grabbed Caroline's hand, dragging her up the stairs, "Don't bother us, brother. We have much to plan and discuss." Their heels clanked up the stairs, echoing into the foyer.

Klaus turned to watch them walk away. Caroline's eyes had turned to meet his again and for a brief moment, he saw a small smile grace her radiant face before disappearing into the hallway on the second floor.

He was elated in ways he could not describe.

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**Finally .. THEY MEET. **

**I hope the wait was worth it and I hope some of you stuck around to finally see it. **

**There will be a lot more in the upcoming chapters as well as some drama. **

**Things are gonna get intense!**


	15. Moments

**Almost to my goal for NaNoWriMo. Just another few thousand! **  
**I decided to break this long chapter into two different ones, so expect another update shortly.  
If not tonight, then definitely this Friday. **  
**I'm glad you guys were happy they meet.  
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

_Moments_

Caroline stepped into the bedroom, giving room for Rebekah to shut the door behind them. Her eyes cascaded upwards to take in the sight of the extravagant room. Rebekah's bedroom was the size of her entire living room and kitchen combined with tall walls and a breathtaking tiled ceiling. She would have expected, since Rebekah wore the latest fashions, that her room would have a modern twist. She was wrong. Everything looked to be an antique, from her large canopy bed to the beautiful vanity that could easily seat four. Caroline looked at her reflection in the oversized mirror and for once, she didn't feel out of place. She quietly thanked herself for wearing this outfit and for taking extra time on her hair this morning. She would have been embarrassed if she had worn anything less expensive in the company of this family. Although her feet were killing her from wearing the heels all day, she didn't dare shed them and she wondered how this blonde did it all day, everyday.

Rebekah casually stepped around Caroline and headed to her bed, throwing herself on it and sighing. Caroline stood there awkwardly until Rebekah lifted her head and moaned.

"God, could one day of school get any more exhausting!?" Rebekah sighed, reaching for her heels, peeling them off and throwing them across the room and into her walk-in closet. Caroline shifted her weight on her tired feet, wanting to join the rich girl.

Instead, Caroline reached into her oversized purse, taking out a notebook, and walking over a beautiful chair by the large desk in the center of the room. She grabbed a pen as well and sat down, sinking into the comfortable fabric of the seat. Her eyes fell on the extravagant candle stick-like thing sitting on the desk, noticing the overflow of wax that had harden down it and had fallen on the desk. _Weird_, she thought, crossing her legs and looking at Rebekah who had returned to laying down, head first on her bed. Caroline cleared her throat.

"So, about the dance ..." Caroline prodded.

Rebekah groaned again at this, sitting up on the bed and making a scrunch face. Her face lifted suddenly and Caroline wondered what she was thinking about as Rebekah shot up off the bed and walked to the door.

"I don't know about you, but I'm starved. I'll be right back," Rebekah gave a smirk before opening the door and heading out of the room.

Caroline waited a few seconds before standing up and letting a nervous shiver overtake her body. She sat back down immediately after letting go of all her pent up nerves and sat with her head in her hands. She had only been here roughly ten minutes and this family was already eating away at her. The Mikaelson family was exhausting. Rebekah's presence made her extremely self-conscious, she concluded, looking down at her shaking hands. The girl practically screamed confidence and could really suck the air out of the room at times. Granted, Rebekah was being a lot nicer than she would have ever expected. Maybe there was something there she couldn't see, some deeper meaning to the rude act Rebekah threw around.

Then there was Nik. She exhaled a deep breath, remembering their meeting. He had been nothing but charming and that accent? _Oh boy_, she shook her head quickly throwing the thought of him out of her mind. _You are dating Tyler. Remember that, Caroline. _

She took her head out of her hands then and crossed them over her lap. Her eyes then fell to the floor and onto a scrunched up piece of paper laying beneath the desk. Curiosity got the best of her, causing her to slump out of the seat and kneel by the desk. Her hand was hovering over the ball of paper when there was a knock on the door.

Caroline jumped back up quickly, running her hand over her pants to knock the stray pieces of dust off. The door slowly creaked open. She felt herself stop breathing as Nick opened the door slightly and poked his head in. He looked about the room first before his blue eyes fell on her. She gave a small smile at him before crossing her arms nervously in front of her chest and looking down.

"I was wishing to speak with Rebekah ..." His voice trailed as he stood frozen, his eyes never leaving her. Caroline gulped at his thick accent, which reminded her of some older time. Like Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, and she wondered where this family was from originally. She would have to remind herself to ask Rebekah when she came back.

"She went to get some food or something like I don't really know," Caroline blurted out nervously. She slammed her mouth shut then and exhaled a quick, frustrated breath. _Could she seriously sound anymore like a child?_

Nick gave a small smile, before opening the door wider and stepping inside. Caroline grew nervous again as he walked a little closer, his arms swaying carelessly by his side.

"If you girls wanted to eat, I could have made something for you. All you had to do was ask," His words came out like silk. Caroline bit her lower lip, turning to run her hand over the desk next to her, trying to prevent herself from ogling him.

"I didn't really have much of a chance to voice any opinion on the matter. Your sister ..."

"Is controlling?" He finished her sentence, chuckling softly and gazing down at her with that look he always seemed to throw her way. The one that made her knees wobbly.

"In a good way," she added quickly, not wanting to offend him. He raised a finger then to his mouth, running it underneath his bottom lip. Caroline watched him open his mouth slightly, obviously in thought. She was glad when he finally spoke. She had been staring at his mouth a little too long.

His smooth words surprised her, "To be honest, I am glad I was able to find you here ... alone," She immediately blushed, her heart beating rapidly again as he took a few steps towards her.

"Really?" She challenged him, raising an eyebrow. _Was he flirting with her?_ Most likely, she concluded as he was standing next to her by the desk now, a person's length away. He leaned back, resting on the top. His hands fell beside him, his palms clenching the edge of the wooden desk. She too leaned against it as well, turning to face him. From up close, she could really look into his eyes, really take in his sandy blonde hair. She was pretty sure his jawline was something she had only seen in magazines. _How was someone like him living in Mystic Falls?_It made little to no sense.

She subconsciously stuck out her chest as she placed her hand on the desk, close to his. His gaze switched from her eyes to the proximity of their resting hands. She made sure to gaze from underneath her long lashes as his head snapped back up to meet hers.

_Flirting wasn't cheating, right?_ She could flirt back a little._ What was wrong with that?_

She could have sworn she heard him gulp. _He wasn't nervous ... was he? _

He suddenly pulled his hand away, crossing his arms across his chest, much to Caroline's dismay, turning away from her.

"I just wished to thank you," he spoke, his gaze cast forward. His voice sounded different all of sudden as if a light switch had flipped. Cold? Distant? She couldn't place it. _What had she done wrong?_

"Thank me?"

Nick nodded slightly, expelling a soft sigh, "Rebekah mentioned in passing how much she wanted to assist with the dance planning," He head turned slightly meeting her eyes again, his voice soft again. "I'm very grateful you are letting her help. She desperately needs something like this right now."

Caroline was perplexed once again. _Needs this right now?_ _Was something wrong with the perfect blonde?_She wanted to know more. She was about to say something back to him when Rebekah wandered into the room, a tray in her hands and her face hidden from the mountain of containers she had stacked on top.

"A little help?" She squealed, causing Caroline to rush forward and grab a few things from her tray. Her hands soon contained two pints of ice cream, one was opened and had two spoons sticking out of the top of it. Her brow furrowed as Rebekah walked over to the bed and placed the tray down on top. Rebekah stood up straight and smiled brightly at them, dusting her hands off.

"I told you I was famished," Rebekah reached for a package of cookies, opening it and falling on the bed backwards. As she began downing cookie after cookie loudly, Caroline just stood there dazed in the doorway.

"Well, that's my cue to leave," Nick spoke, making his way to the door. What he did next almost sent Caroline melting to the floor.

He walked up to Caroline, the movement bringing his musky smell into her nostrils as he reached into the melting container of ice cream with his long finger. With his eyes never leaving hers, a wide smirk on his face, he scooped out a small dollop of ice cream and slide the contents into his mouth, slowly pulling his finger out and making a soft smacking sound. Caroline gulped loudly as she watched as a small trail of the melted goodness slide down his chin. Her reaction made him smirk.

"Mmmm...Dark Chocolate. My favorite," Nick softly spoke, taking his thumb and wiping his chin. His thumb smoothly fell between his lips as he sucked the liquid off slowly. With his thumb still in his mouth, he sauntered around her. She didn't dare move, she didn't dare breathe. _Could that have been any hotter?_

"Nik stop flirting with my guest!" Rebekah impatiently yelled from the bed.

"Alright, love, as you wish … you two have fun," Nick spoke one last time before shutting the door with a soft click. Caroline's heart was pounding in her chest and there was a slow, agonizing fire kindling beneath her jeans.

Rebekah sat up on the bed and waved for her to join her on the bed, "Come on then. Don't just stand there. We have a dance to plan."

Caroline broke out of her daydreams and grabbed one of the spoons out of the container, sucking the ice cream off. She smiled to herself as she walked over to join Rebekah.

_It's my favorite too._

* * *

Klaus fell back against the door, his hand clutching the piece of paper in the pocket of his jeans. He had forgotten about discarding the drawing the night before, and she had been so close to seeing it. _If she had looked at it …_ His mind wandered to what she might have thought.

It would have confused her no doubt, frightened her maybe. She could have deduced that he had drawn it and, maybe then, she would have figured out who he really was. She had been calling him Nik since she met him, not Klaus. There must have been some confusion somewhere and he was not going to be the first one to shine the light in her beautiful eyes. He would hold out that truth as long as he possibly could.

After listening to his two favorite blondes chatter about dance matters for a few minutes, he felt a bit guilty for eavesdropping and began walking towards his room, his hand glued to his pocket. He pushed his door open and shut it behind himself, thankful that his room was lined with lead so he couldn't hear. He had lost his vampire hearing, but his werewolf ears still could pick up their conversation from his doorway. He knew she would hate him if he had listened in to them. _Who knew what they might say with him gone._

He ripped the shirt from his back and threw it to the floor, trying to cool down. His heart was racing, sweat forming at the top of his brow. He was struggling to process what had just happened between them. There had been so many different emotions and feelings coursing through him, conflicting with his morals and conflicting with his desires.

She had flirted with him, genuinely flirted with him. She hadn't been acting as a distraction for her pesky friends and there was no forcing on his part to make her talk to him that way. There was no fake motives behind those beautiful eyes as she flicked them for him, just him in that moment.

The attraction she obviously held for him had been oozing from every pore on her body and it took all his being to hold himself back, to play the prey for once. He wanted her and, for the first time, she was making it painfully obvious that she wanted him. It was everything he ever wanted.

_But it wasn't right_, a voice echoed behind his furrowed brow. He growled low, running his hand through his hair, the realization ripping him from cloud nine and tearing at his deepest moral core. He plopped hard onto his neatly made bed and stared at the ceiling.

He had realized her desperate attempt to gather his attention and had pulled his hand away. He wanted her to want him, he desperately wanted her to want him. It was all he could think about these days.

_But not like this._

She barely knew him, didn't recognize him. Who he really was that is …

She saw him as Nik, not Klaus. Of course he had left the drawing for her to find, but did she even know who Klaus really was? Obviously not since he was standing right in front of her just now, watching her call him Nik and treating him like a normal person. _Wanting him as if it was a perfectly normal daily occurrence …_

His brain couldn't wrap around it.

In that quick moment when he tore his hand away, he told himself he wouldn't do this. He would wait, be nice from afar and gain her trust the right way. He couldn't take advantage of her current state. There would be regret later when her memories finally resurfaced or when someone opened their big mouth and spilled the truth.

He knew he needed to tell her the truth, but his nerves ate at him. When could he? She would hate him instantly for having lied to her. She may have forgotten her memories, but she still had that Caroline fire about her and he didn't want to bring it out on himself. He had really enjoyed their short time together just now and he needed more of it … before he put the final nail in his coffin.

_Why he tried to seduce her with the ice cream was beyond his capacity for reason_. His hand rushed to the bridge of his nose and squeezed in an attempt to force the image of the foolish act from his mind. For some idiotic reason, he had tried to seduce her … right after he had said he wouldn't flirt back or lead her on.

It was as if he was possessed, his body moving against his mind. He cursed himself for his inability to hold back his charm. She just brought out the beast in so many different ways …

Distance, for awhile, would have to be the answer to this dilemma. He closed his eyes, trying to remove the welling in his beating heart. It was beginning to consume him.

_Distance_, he repeated to himself. I can do that.

_Can't I?_

* * *

There were wrappers and empty containers lining the bed and more guilty pop music filling up the large room as Caroline and Rebekah put the finishing touches on the decorations list for the dance.

"So, large Roaring 20's banner, stars hanging from the ceiling .." Caroline began reading the list aloud.

"Don't forget the chandelier!" Rebekah giggled.

"It is written!" Caroline said in a serious, joking voice before placing another cookie in her mouth. She had pretty much eaten the whole box of cookies and yet she couldn't stop herself from eating them. For some reason, she had never tasted anything as delicious. To be honest, everything she ate as of late tasted like the best food in the world.

Rebekah stood up from the bed and stretched, running her hand over her full stomach, "Elijah's going to be so angry at me for ruining my appetite."

"Eliajh?" Caroline asked, curious. They hadn't talked much about anything but the dance since Nick had left.

"He's another one of my brothers," Rebekah replied as she walked over and changed the music on the docking station to something less poppy. Caroline didn't recognize the song at all.

"Brothers .." Caroline's voice trailed as she wondered which of the other two was this Elijah.

"I have four in all," Rebekah returned to the bed, laying down and bobbing her head to the music. Caroline bit the inside of her cheek at this. She had only seen three at the Grill that night. Maybe the fourth brother was ….

_No._ She shook her head. _It couldn't be Klaus._

She didn't want it to be Klaus.

Although the romantic drawing and kind words had softened her heart, she had been so angry that this Klaus guy had punched Stefan. Even thinking about it now made her body tightened up with anger. _What a jerk,_she thought.

Rebekah noticed the change in her demeanor, "Are you alright?"

Caroline shot a quick smile, "Yes, sorry, I was just thinking about someone."

"Well, stop it. It makes your face do weird things," Rebekah snapped at her.

"Oh. Sorry?" Caroline nervously asked, looking away from her and across the room. Her eyes widened as she saw the time on the docking station. "Oh no, I have to go."

Rebekah sat up on her elbows, watching Caroline awkwardly scramble about in her heels. She was obviously struggling with walking and the sight sent Rebekah giggling silently to herself. Caroline was throwing her notebook into her purse and heading for the door when Rebekah stopped her.

"So, you're just going to walk home then?" Caroline froze, confused before she realized that Rebekah had given her a ride, thus making her rushing to leave a little useless unless the other blonde was also going. Rebekah gave a small smile before hopping off the bed and walking to her walk-in closet. After having emerged with high heels intact, she slinked by Caroline and walked out of the room. Caroline looked back at the mess they had left behind before following Rebekah into the hallway.

They were silent all the way to the front door. Nick was nowhere to be seen and Caroline was a little sad that she might not see him again. As if on cue ...

"Caroline...," His beautiful voice rang loud in the foyer, stopping Caroline in her tracks. She turned around and saw him leaning against the banister with a bright smile on his face.

_Oh god,_ she screamed at herself, her eyes unblinking. _Why isn't he wearing a shirt?!_

Rebekah shot him an annoyed look before stepping outside, leaving them alone. Caroline's palms began to sweat as she racked her brain for something to say. Although he was at the top of the long staircase, she could still see everything. She couldn't tear her eyes from him.

Klaus chuckled to himself, amazed at her reaction to him. This was going to be a lot harder for him with her incessant staring …

"Just wanted to say that it was nice to make your acquaintance and I hope to see you again ... sweetheart." He wiggled his fingers at the endearment. Before Caroline could say anything back, he stood up straight and headed back down the hallway and out of her view.

She would have stayed standing there in the foyer, paralyzed, had Rebekah's frantic honking from the driveway not shaken her from the doorway and into the night. Caroline joined Rebekah in her car, snapping the seat buckle into place and staring at the lights of the mansion in front of her as they drove away. Rebekah immediately turned the music on again, destroying any chance to talk, and leaving Caroline to her wondering, and slightly dirty, thoughts. _He called me sweetheart …_

She knew for a fact that she was going to be in big trouble with this Nick guy hanging about and, although she knew she couldn't act on anything, the thought of him wanting her sent the biggest smile across her face.

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**Hope you guys liked the chapter. There wasn't much plot movement happening, but I figured you all deserved some Klaroline. **  
**Next chapter, first Steroline fight and more Klaroline. Conflict galore!  
Don't forget to review and give me your thoughts. **


	16. Emotions

**Although the number on here says differently, I have officially completed NaNoWriMo! 50,664 words! I know the story has been a little bumpy with errors, etc but I am just so glad I was able to get this many words down. One of the biggest accomplishments of my life. **

**I will be spending the next few days editing the whole story. Fixing any plot mistakes, writing errors, etc. So, once I'm done, I invite you to re-read. **

**In regards to a few questions I got on the last chapter about Caroline not calling Klaus out after he "introduced himself" Obviously he knew her before then and she "should" have said so. I hope this chapter gets you inside of her head and explains some things. If not, I may go back and fix it. Let me know guys. **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. I ended up just writing it fast (since I was under a time crunch) so I hope it makes sense and I hope you like it. After this chapter, I may consider getting a beta to help me with the rest of the story. **

**Enough with my notes, read and enjoy. **

**Emotions**

The ride back to Caroline's house was agonizing to say the least. Caroline had a lot on her mind, thoughts rushing through her head, from the night's events.

First, there was Rebekah. Although she was a little harsh and brutally honest at times, she was really nice and fun deep down and Caroline couldn't figure out why Stefan had been so mean to her at school earlier that day. _The way he looked at her …_ Perhaps they had dated? They seemed to have that kind of tension between them.

_Thick sexual tension_, she groaned, her tongue shooting out and licking her top lip. Her thoughts flew to her few moments with Nick. How he had looked at her, flirted with her. _The ice cream …._

Sexual tension. She had never really experienced it before. Every other guy she had ever been interested in or dated, had never looked at her or made her feel the way she had felt tonight. But what frustrated her the most about the whole thing wasn't the sexual frustration he had forced upon her, but their lack of real conversation. She had so many things she wanted to ask him like their relationship, what they were to each other. But every time she looked at him or listened to him, her thoughts just flew out of her ears and up into the clouds.

He was so distracting and, although she hated to admit it, he consumed her with or without his presence.

It was infuriating. Either she was unable to get but a few words out or she was rambling like a raving lunatic around him. _He must have thought I was a neurotic freak._ She shook her head in disgust at herself for falling too easily into the desperate teenager role. He was obviously older, more experienced. Why had she acted like such an idiot?

Her eyes fell upon her home, the porch light sending a shadow across the sidewalk. She gulped as she saw someone sitting on her doorstep.

_Stefan._

"Well wasn't this painfully predictable ..." Rebekah murmured, reaching and turning the music down as she pulled in front of her house. Stefan didn't move, didn't stand up as Caroline opened the door and stepped out, shutting the door behind her. Caroline's eyes met his and she read a mix of different emotions across his face, but what stuck out the most was high level of frustration with a dash of anger and worry. _This was not going to be fun._

"Caroline …" Rebekah rolled down the window, causing Caroline to turn around. Rebekah gave her a quick smile, "I had a pleasant time today. Repeat tomorrow after school?"

Caroline's mouth twisted a little into a slight smile. _Heck yes._

"Definitely," Caroline said. Rebekah gave a little wave before blaring her pop music. The loud droning of Katy Perry drowned out the roar of her car's engine as she peeled out onto the street.

Caroline took a deep, reassuring breath before turning around and storming towards the house, her hands digging in her purse for her keys. She walked past Stefan without saying a word. Her brain was racing for what to say and she needed to give herself as much time as possible to come up with something. She knew she would have had to talk to him eventually. Him being here now was unexpected and it flustered her.

Stefan stood up quickly and leaned against the door, staring at Caroline as she fumbled with the keychain trying to get the right key in the lock.

"You know," He said sharply. "If you slow down, for just a little bit, you'll be able to do it." Caroline scoffed at him. _Jerk much?_

"How about you don't get to tell me what to do?" She snapped back at him as the key flew into the lock and she pushed herself into her dark house. Either no one was home or her Dad was asleep. She flipped the light switch on, throwing her purse down angrily and grabbing the door to slam it shut.

His hand quickly shot out and stopped it, his arm outstretched. He quickly pushed the door open, letting it bang against the wall as he marched straight forward into the house. His sudden advance surprised and frightened Caroline as he backed her into a corner, staring into her eyes intensely.

"Tell you what to do?! I'm not telling you to do anything Caroline," He was staring down at her. Caroline's heart was racing uncontrollably. Out of fear? No. It was out of proximity. She clenched her teeth together telling herself not to back down.

"Yes you are!" She diverted her eyes and pushed lightly against his chest, causing him to fall back enough for her to walk around him and head for the kitchen. He was close behind. She walked straight for the cabinet, searching for something.

"Really?" He retorted, "So me being concerned for your well-being and safety is a problem?" Caroline was opening and slamming cabinets, shooting him looks in-between. He walked around her and stopped in front of her, "I made a promise that I don't want to back out on. I'm sorry if I care about you, Caroline."

She pointed a finger at him, "If you cared about me, you wouldn't be yelling at me right now or bursting into my home and slamming doors ..."

Stefan gave her a condescending look, "So, how many cabinets did you slam just now? Because I think I counted four." Caroline's mouth slammed shut. He was smirking at her. _Ass, what an ass._

She pushed by him and her eyes then fell upon the familiar tin on the dining room table. She really needed something to calm her nerves right now before she clawed out Stefan's beautiful eyes. She huffed, walking by him and grabbing the tin. There was silence between them as she opened up another cabinet, grabbing a mug. Her eyes turned to meet his, her eyebrow raising as she slammed the cabinet door.

"Make that five," She spurted out, reaching for the kettle.

Stefan quickly grabbed it and held it away from her, "Just stop, Caroline."

"No, you stop, STEFAN!" She demanded, standing on her tiptoes. He was holding the kettle out of her reach.

"Refresh my memory," Stefan said as Caroline ran around him, her arm outstretched trying to reach the kettle. He was chuckling at her attempts. "When exactly did I tell you to go with Rebekah today? Oh that's right, I didn't." Caroline froze at this, looking into his eyes. "Don't say I tell you what to do ... because I don't." His voice was soft, reassuring. He was also really, really close.

Caroline suddenly became aware of their bodies. Her left hand was clutching his shoulder and her body was pressed against his, her right arm stretching past his other shoulder. His free arm had found its way to her side. He had been holding her away from him, but now his grip had relaxed and was resting softly above her hip.

"Stefan …" Caroline whispered, breathlessly. His eyes were staring at her, a look of bewilderment deep within the green. She could tell he was holding his breath. She couldn't breath either. Both their hearts were beating rapidly.

The moment didn't last long before Stefan who broke the tension between them, backing away with a long sigh. He placed the kettle on the counter, his face turned away from hers. Caroline didn't move.

"I … um …" Stefan stumbled with his words, his hand gripping the kettle for dear life. His mind was racing. _How did that just happen?_ They had gotten so close without even realizing it.

Caroline swallowed hard before her soft voice broke the silence, "What is so wrong with me hanging out with Rebekah? Why do you care so much?" She was prodding him, looking for the answer she dreaded.

Her question surprised him to an extent. They had just shared a very intimate moment, _or at least he thought it was intimate_, and her thoughts immediately ran to Rebekah? He let go of the kettle and walked away, his right hand rushing into his pants pocket. It was burning from holding her.

When he didn't reply, Caroline pressed on, "Did you two date or something? Is it awkward ..?"

Stefan bit his lower lip and looked down at the ground. He did not want to have this conversation, "Sort of. A long time ago. But that's not … the real issue."

So they had dated. It all made sense now. He didn't want her liking his ex. _Why does everything always have to be so damn complicated?_

Caroline grabbed the kettle frustrated and ran water into. She placed it on the stove, flipping the setting to high. The stove made a clicking sound before the blue flames appeared. She heard Stefan open the tin behind her and scoop some of the leaves into the metal tea strainer. He draped the hook onto the edge of the mug, letting the ball clink inside the empty mug.

"Then what's the issue, Stefan? I know I can't remember anything at all, which is frustrating on its own, but Rebekah seems really cool and we have a lot in common," She was rambling now, her gaze directed at the floor. "We're just planning the dance. It's not like I'm going clubbing or doing drugs or putting my life in danger or anything."

Stefan just stood there watching her rant.

"I may only be 17 years old …"

Stefan interrupted her, "18. You're 18, Caroline."

Caroline thought for a second before exhaling, growling as she raised her hands to her temples in frustration. She missed her 18th birthday … The one thing she had been looking forward to for most of her young life … and she had missed it.

She shook her head, her voice heavy with annoyance, "This is just all too much! I just can't deal with it anymore. I don't know half of my supposed-to-be friends, I can't recognize a single song on the radio, all of my classes are beyond difficult. I'm dating TYLER of all people and there is all of this sexual tension …" Her voice halted immediately.

They exchanged glances. _Great_, she thought. _Good job keeping your dirty thoughts to yourself._

Stefan stood there deep in thought, processing her words as the kettle slowly began whistling.

Caroline quickly turned away from him and flipped the stove off, her hand wrapping around the handle. Avoiding his eyes, she turned and poured the hot water slowly over the strainer, watching the clear water turn a slight reddish color. After a few minutes, she carried the mug over to the sink and took out the tea holder, placing it in the sink. The tea smelled heavenly.

There was an awful long silence between them while she took a few sips, her eyes never meeting his. She honestly didn't know what to say.

"It's Klaus alright," Stefan blurted out softly, leaning against the wall and shaking his head. This caught Caroline's attention immediately. _What did Klaus have to do with Rebekah?_

Stefan ran his hand over his eyes, "I just don't like the idea of you hanging around him. If you're spending time with Rebekah, it's only a matter of time before you're spending time with Klaus and I just don't like the possibility of that."

It took a few moments before the realization hit Caroline like a ton of bricks.

_Rebekah was dating Klaus!_

The guy who had left her that amazing drawing ... was dating her now almost friend. If he liked her too, that would be a major problem. Rebekah obviously didn't know if his intentions or she wouldn't have been so nice.

_But what if he doesn't like you, that drawing could mean nothing._ The stupid voice in her head taunted, prodding her with some reality. Her conscious was right. It might mean nothing. She needed it to mean nothing. He had hurt Stefan and he was dating her friend. Nothing would ever happen between them.

"Stefan .." Caroline spoke in defense quickly. "I haven't met him yet and I have no intention to meet him. I was there all day with Rebekah and I didn't see him. Believe me, if I had, I would have given him a piece of my mind. That jerk does not get the luxury of hitting my friend and getting away with it." Stefan's eyes lit up a little at her reassurance, she could tell he was somewhat relieved.

He nervously asked softly, "Can you just ... stay away from her from now on?" Caroline took a nervous sip from her tea. Stefan stood there waiting.

"No?" Caroline spoke, her voice raising high. Stefan's face fell from happiness to irritated.

"Well, why? Haven't I given enough reasons for you to stay away?"

"Because," Caroline grew impatient again. _He was not going to tell her what to do._ "I'm a big girl and I can handle myself."

Stefan went to speak, but she held up her hand stopping him. "I understand you're uncomfortable about it. Heck, I would be too. But I'm pretty sure I'm mature enough to handle anything … on my own, without you."

Stefan was taken aback. Caroline noticed, but she pushed on sternly. She might as well be as honest as possible.

"I need help planning this dance and Rebekah is pretty amazing when it comes to party planning and we make a great team. So just don't ask me to stop hanging out with her because Stefan … I won't. I can't right now. Lately, I've felt so alone and distant. But today, when I was with her .. I felt more alive than I've ever felt. For once, in my pathetic excuse for a life, I felt like I belonged."

She couldn't read his face, was he mad? Hurt? She had no idea.

"You can't ask me to just stop doing something that makes me happy. It isn't fair. I know you want to look out for me, take care of me. But you need to let me make my own decisions about things. Stop caring so much about what's going to happen to me!"

Stefan was baffled. He honestly didn't know what to say. Caroline stared back at him, searching his face. His voice broke when he spoke.

"I see. I … care too much ... "

Caroline immediately knew he was hurt by the tone of his voice. Her mouth opened to say something but he held up his hand, shaking his head.

"Don't. Okay?" His eyes shot to meet hers and she could see in his face that her words had shaken him, broken him maybe. "I get it, Caroline. I'm holding you back, I'm in the way … or whatever. I get it." He turned and headed out of the room.

Caroline cursed herself for her lack of tact and not filtering her words. She didn't want to hurt him.

"Stefan …" She called out, chasing after him. He was at the door now, his hand on the handle. He stopped and looked at her. She bit her lower lip, "I'm sorry … I just …"

He narrowed his eyes, his look penetrating her and causing her chest to clench.

"I guess my friendship is a little too much for you right now." He broke his gaze from hers before whispering so softly she could barely hear. "I'll see you around."

With that, he shut the door and was gone.

Caroline stood there in the hallway, alone. The silence in the house was daunting and before she knew it, she was on her knees with tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

_How did they go from raging mad and fighting to super close and flirting to immense heartbreak …. all in less than 30 minutes?_

She stood up and raced upstairs to her bedroom, throwing the light on and plopping down face first onto her bed. She sent a muffled scream into the silence of the house. She held it until she could no longer breath, her voice straining as she relinquished all of her pent up emotions.

She was more confused than ever. Rebekah was dating Klaus. Stefan and Rebekah had dated. Stefan was upset at her now. Really upset at her.

_They just had their first fight, didn't they?_

She rolled over on her back and stared up at her ceiling, her mind exhausted from her constant worry and anxiety. Was she ever going to get a break?

Before she could answer herself or ask any more questions, she was overcome with exhaustion as her eyes dropped shut and she fell asleep.

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open slowly. She felt extremely weak and could barely hold her head up. As she went to hold her head with her hand, she realized she was strapped to a chair. Her eyes shot open, searching the room she was in. It was dark and cold, a musky smell flowing into her nostrils.

_Where was she?_

She tried to fight the restraints but found herself unable to move her arms or her legs.

"HELP! Anybody? HELLO!?" She called out desperately, hoping someone would hear her.

There was movement behind the door in front of her and her heart soared that she might have caught someone's attention.

The door slowly creaked open and she smiled at the face peering back at her, "Daddy?!"

He went to speak, but she couldn't make out the words. His face blurred in and out, a static hanging over every word he spoke. She blinked her eyes and strained to make out what he was saying, but it was as if someone was turning the frequency on a radio .. everything was cutting in and out. Even his face was going out of focus.

_What is going on?_ She whimpered to herself.

He walked around her then and she strained her neck to follow him, but he was out of her sight line within seconds. She could barely focus on anything, her breathing rapid and there was a hunger deep within her that she couldn't explain.

Suddenly, there was a bright light in the room and her body felt like it was on fire. She screamed loudly, her body shaking from the pain. The flesh on her back was searing in the heat and the crackling sound could barely be heard over her deafening screams.

* * *

Caroline shot up out of bed, her hair matted to her forehead from sweat. She immediately brought her knees up to her chest and began rocking back and forth, tears overflowing and falling over her shaking body. The dream had been so real, the pain had been overwhelming.

"Daddy … why? Daddy … why?" She repeated over and over to herself.

She didn't understand the dream, she didn't understand what he had said to her or why he was doing what he was doing … but he had hurt her. Her father had hurt her.

She had told Stefan that she had felt alone and distant … _now she actually was._

She sat up the rest of the night crying, scared to fall asleep.

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**Don't forget to review!**

**I will be updating again on Tuesday. **


	17. Discoveries

**Just want to start out by sending out a ton of apologizes for the lateness of this chapter. I had a lot of personal things go down and lost a lot of motivation. But I have come back to you now and I promise to try and update weekly. **

**Also, I officially have a beta for all of the upcoming chapters! The lovely Candis (muffintine) has agreed to step up to the challenge and I am eternally grateful that she has. **

**Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

_Discoveries_

Caroline never did fall back asleep that night. As the morning light begun to slowly brighten her bedroom, the previous night's terrors replayed themselves over and over again inside of her mind. Usually on any normal morning, after having a bad dream, she would simply write it out in her diary and then go back to sleep with the knowledge that none of the bad things she'd dreamt were real or would ever happen to her. That was how she coped with any normal nightmare, any bad dream that woke her in the middle of the night.

But last night's dream was different, _so much_ different. The dream had felt way too real. Unlike the other night when she dreamt of being shot multiple times, which has also felt surreal, this dream had one component that terrified her even more … her father.

Most dreams she can barely remember, just faint moments and little snippets, nothing more, nothing less.

Last night, however, she could remember everything from the feel of the shackles around her wrists to the moldy smell that filled her nostrils; the pain, _god_, the pain. She would never forget the agony she felt, the smell of her burning flesh. None of it made sense, yet she couldn't help but feel as if the dream was something more than just a figment of her imagination.

She lay in bed like this for hours, never moving. Her eyes trained on the white ceiling above her as if, within the small white bumps, she might find some sort of clarity. Her breathing was surprisingly slow since her heart had never stopped racing from the moment she had woken up. She felt at war, her body shaking from the adrenaline while her mind struggled to hold her together before she ripped at the seams.

At some point, her mother had come in to tell her it was time for school. Caroline didn't move an inch as her mother rushed to the side of her bed, running her hand over Caroline's sweaty brow. Her mother was instantly worried and called for Bill to come in. Caroline slowly turned her head to look past her mother as her father walked in, mug in hand as always.

Caroline didn't move; she merely stared at him. It wasn't until he walked towards the bed, his voice kind and soft, so much unlike the nightmare, that she found herself jumping out of bed and pushing herself against the opposite wall. Her hand flew to the back of her neck, tears spilling down her face.

"Caroline?" Bill stood there in surprise. Caroline didn't say anything, she simply sobbed silently as she looked at the man who was supposed to be her father. Bill went to take a step towards her and she shrieked in terror.

"Don't .. don't come any closer!"

Bill froze, tilting his head as Liz sat on the bed, her hand over her mouth, in horror.

After a few silent moments, Bill handed the mug to Liz, who took it without question, as he slowly sat down on the bed, his hand held up towards Caroline.

"Honey, what's wrong? You can talk to me."

Caroline shook her head angry. "NO! I CAN'T! You ... hurt me," her voice cracked. Bill didn't blink as he processed her accusation.

"What are you talking about, honey?" he answered finally, a hint of worry in his voice. "Did you have another bad dream?"

Caroline bit her lower lip and slowly nodded, "But it was _so_ real, daddy. I could feel everything you were doing to me. The worst part is that I still remember everything and I don't even understand what any of it means, why you would do that to me? Why would you hurt me?" She slid down the wall slowly until she was sitting on the floor. She wrapped her arms around her legs, burying her head into her arms as she began sobbing loudly. Her body had broken down as she succumbed to the emotions that had built up over the past few hours.

There was silence for a few moments between all of them, her sobs filling up her bedroom. It wasn't until she heard him whisper something to her mother that her head popped up to see him walking out of the room quickly. Liz exchanged a quick look with Caroline before placing the mug on the bedside table, rushing out to catch him.

Caroline wiped her wet face and stood up. She walked around her bed and stood at her doorway, head peering around the corner. She watched as her parents tried to argue silently in another room. She ducked back into her room as her father emerged with his suitcase in hand. She stood with her head pressed against her bedroom wall as she heard her mother plead him not to leave.

The front door opened and slammed as her father walked out on her and her mother for the second time.

As her tears stopped, Caroline wrapped her hand around the corner of her door and slowly shut herself off from the world. Her feet shuffled across the floor as she wrapped her hand around the now lukewarm mug and sat down, curling up in the vastness of her pillows and blankets.

* * *

Stefan peered at the empty desk in their history class. Alaric's speech about the end of the Civil War had become muffled as soon as Stefan realized that she wouldn't be coming to school today. He sat back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair, mulling over their fight again and again in his head. He never thought it would have escalated that quickly and he didn't think that she would miss school on account of it. She was always stronger than that.

The rest of the day drug on for him; he didn't care much about learning things he already knew. The whole point of going was to be close to those he cared about .. Elena, Caroline .. and to maintain some semblance of his humanity. He worked hard to maintain it, to keep a small measure of his human side intact by going to school, as that was always one of the things that helped him. Now that he had his humanity back in full swing, school was slowly becoming an absolute torture. The only thing keeping him sane was Caroline and now that she wasn't here …

He wanted to go to her after school, talk to her, but he was wary of doing so. They had fought and he had left. Although he desperately wanted to, he didn't want to go crawling back defeated.

After history class, he ran into Rebekah in the hall. She was visibly upset.

"What happened with Caroline?" she demanded. Stefan gave a small shrug before reaching down to take a drink from the water fountain. Rebekah stood next to him, arms crossed as she peered down at him. Stefan's eyes fell down to her stilettos and he rolled his eyes at her. Was she ever caught without them?

"She sent me a text saying she won't be able to work after school today and I think you know why," Rebekah said, pulling out her phone. Stefan popped his head up at this. This was not Caroline at all. She loved party planning and she loved being in control. He grabbed the phone out of Rebekah's hand to read the text.

_Hey Rebekah, won't be able to work on the dance after school. Not feeling too well. Sorry. _

Stefan's eyes narrowed in thought as Rebekah snatched her phone back out of his hand, stashing it quickly in her purse. She ran her hand through her hair absently in frustration.

"She was perfectly fine yesterday and I don't understand how today is any different. Did you two get in a fight or something?"

Stefan swallowed hard, hesitating on telling her. The bell then rang to signal the start of the next period. She stood there waiting for him to say anything, but he didn't speak. Soon they were the only ones left in the empty hallway. Rebekah began to walk backwards, away from him.

"Your silence says everything. Thanks a lot, Stefan," she spat, turning away from him. She left him behind, standing alone in the empty halls without a second thought.

Stefan watched as she ducked down another hallway, her heels filling the emptiness with sharp clicking sounds. He exhaled loudly, staring into space as he contemplated what to do next. There was definitely something else wrong and he needed to figure out what that was.

After ditching his books in his locker, he walked towards the side door leading out into the parking lot. The sun was shining bright and he squinted as he walked towards his parked bike. He would go talk to her and figure this out. He would be there for her, just like he promised he would.

* * *

"What do you mean she doesn't want to see anyone?" Stefan stood on the Forbes residence's doorstep. Liz was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed and gaze glued to his. Stefan craned his neck a little to try and catch a peek into the house. Liz noticed and stepped outside, pulling the door closed behind her.

"Liz, talk to me. What is going on?" Stefan demanded softly. He knew for a fact that their little fight wouldn't hole Caroline up inside of her house. She was too stubborn to let a stupid fight with a friend get in the way of things she wanted to do.

"Stefan," Liz began hesitantly. "Things aren't good. I can't even begin to explain why they aren't."

"You have to talk to me. You _have_ to tell me," Stefan prodded. His mind ran through multiple scenarios, none of which made any sense. He _needed_ to know what was wrong.

Liz exhaled before beginning her rant. "Last night, she had another dream, much like the first one. She woke up scared and upset, crying. But this dream was different, Stefan. It was ten times worse than her first dream because last night she dreamt ... of her father torturing her."

Stefan tilted his head and spoke with a little anger behind the obvious hurt. "Was it similar to when … he did torture her?" He hated thinking about it, how her own father had tried to tame her and change her. It sickened him down to his very core.

"She didn't say much and she won't talk to me now. After he left this morning, she just shut herself off to me and won't leave her room. All I know about the dream is that he was torturing her."

"He left? Bill is gone?" Stefan asked, surprised. Bill had always been dead set on keeping Caroline safe.

"Yes. He thinks something is wrong with the spell Bonnie cast …"

"Wrong? What could be wrong with it?" Stefan interrupted her.

Liz shook her head. "I have no idea, Stefan. Caroline should be getting her memories back by now and last night was proof of that; that it is working. But that's all she's gotten so far, bad memories. She is getting the negative things first … which is _not_ good. Bill needs to figure out what's going wrong …" she stopped talking and drew a quick breath. Stefan could tell she was upset and uneasy with talking about this. He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"When will he be back?" Stefan asked, giving Liz's shoulder a small squeeze.

"That's just it," Liz looked into his eyes. "He's not going to be coming back."

Stefan was taken aback. "Well, why not? Caroline really needs him right now."

Liz backed up and leaned against the front door, her breathing uneven. "She's absolutely terrified of him. You should have seen her, Stefan. Remember in the hospital when she began to freak out with everyone she didn't recognize?"

Stefan nodded.

"This was worse."

Stefan took a long breath and nodded. Caroline was going through so much right now and having a fight with her was selfish and stupid. Liz patted him on the shoulder in an attempt to reassure him that she would be okay.

"Can I at least come in and wait to see if she walks to talk or anything? I don't mind waiting all day," Stefan asked, hoping she would say yes. Liz just shook her head.

"I'll give you a call if things change." Liz turned to open the door. "When she can carry a conversation with me, when she will eat, when she'll leave her room; then I'll give you a call. I honestly don't know what is best for her right now." She turned to look at him as she stood in the doorway again.

"Does she need space, time to collect herself? I think so. So much has happened and it kills me that i can't tell her the truth," she continued, biting her lower lip, gaze cast downwards.

Stefan nodded in agreement. "You and me both."

* * *

The next few days were a blur to Caroline. She would only leave her room to get something to eat or go to the bathroom to shower. Her mother tried multiple times to talk to her, but Caroline had no drive to have conversations with anyone. At least, not right now. She still couldn't process her dream nor could she wrap her mind around the fact that it had scared her father away. She was hurt, immensely hurt but she had never thought, for a moment, that her father would leave.

She had spent the past few days journaling a lot, making sure to write down every aspect of her dreams, the old and the new. She had dreamt once more about her father hurting her. The dream wasn't as bad the first time because she had expected the outcome. The pain and the torment of knowing it was from her father's hand was what hurt the most and she woke up in tears, unable to fall asleep for the second night in a row.

But last night there had been a new dream where she was fighting against a few grown men in the street, alone. What surprised her the most was how strong she was and how she was able to fight back. Although she was terrified like her other dreams, she seemed more in control with this one and when she woke up from the dream, her heart was not pumping from fear. It was pumping from the adrenaline of the experience. It exhilarated her to an extent. She made sure to make a note of it in her journal.

As the sun began to set, darkening her room and causing her to flip her bedside lamp on, she was soon aware of her impending sleep. She knew what would happen. She would have another dream, one that would either be a repeat of the past or it would be something new. She bit her lip as she glanced about her room. She considered rearranging things in an attempt at a pathetic excuse for a distraction when there was a light knock on her door.

"Come in," she quietly spoke. Her mother poked her head through and tried her best to give a smile. She was holding a plate with some food and a glass of milk.

"Thought you might want some dinner," Liz spoke. Caroline nodded slowly and reached out to take the plate and glass. After taking a quick sip, she looked at her mother in uniform.

"Working late tonight?" Caroline asked.

Liz nodded, running her hand over Caroline's head, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'll be back in the early morning. Most likely to see you head to school … if you are going that is." Caroline quickly looked down at the food in front of her. The weekend had flown by and tomorrow was Monday. She hadn't expected she would go, but maybe she should. She was running out of distractions.

"Maybe," she whispered, taking the fork and poking her food. "I just … don't really see a point in it anymore. It all just seems pointless."

Liz took a saddened breath and reached over to kiss Caroline's forehead. "You take all the time you need sweetie. Give me a call if you need anything tonight okay? And let me know when you are going to bed so I don't worry." Liz stood up and headed for the door.

Caroline stopped her. "Mom, we wouldn't happen to have any more of that tea, would we? I'd really like some."

Liz froze at the door and turned to look at her. "Your dad took it with him. I'll see if I can get some more, okay sweetie?"

Caroline nodded solemnly as Liz walked out, shutting the door softly behind her. Caroline looked at the time on the clock. It read 6:45 p.m. She had a few more hours to kill until she had to face her dream demons, as she had come to call them. She waited until her mother was out of the driveway before she made her way downstairs to rummage through her movies. After placing The Notebook into the DVD player, she curled up on the couch and clutching a pillow close to her heart as she prepared for the onslaught of tears.

* * *

Stefan watched as the light switched off in her bedroom. Liz has called him to tell him that Caroline was going to bed soon and that she would really appreciate it if someone would be there in case she woke up from another dream. Although she hadn't consumed any of the tea since her father had left a few mornings ago, she was still having dreams and Liz wondered how long it would take for the bad magic to be purged from her system. Stefan agreed immediately. He wanted to be there for in any way he could.

Liz had told him where they kept the spare key so he let himself in through the back door, making sure to be as quiet as possible. Using his phone, he made his way through to the living room grabbing some pillows and a blanket; he lay down on the couch and stared up at the dark ceiling. His kept his ears alert, straining to hear any kind of moment or noise from her bedroom. There was nothing but silence.

* * *

Klaus walked out from behind the trees and glanced around at the empty neighborhood. The moon was casting a pale glow on the cars in the driveways and gave enough light for any normal human being to see. But he didn't need the moon's help as he maneuvered his way, quietly, towards her house. Ever since he had found out about Caroline's situation from Rebekah, he had made it a habit to visit her every night. She was always left alone while her mother went to work and he didn't like the idea of her in the helpless state. Luckily, Stefan was never around and he was able to freely visit her. He never once went inside of her house for fear that she would wake and see him, but he would stay outside her bedroom window and listen to her sleeping, making sure that she was alright and safe. From what Rebekah had told him, Caroline wasn't speaking to anyone and wasn't leaving her house. The entire weekend had flown by and Caroline hadn't left her house at all. The past two nights he had heard her mumbling in her sleep only to wake up screaming; it had taken all of his energy not to storm in and comfort her. But he knew he had to keep his distance.

He approached her window, making sure to keep in the shadows of the house to avoid being seen. He peered in and saw her curled up in her blankets, her hair brought up in a tight bun at the top of her head. He marveled at how innocent she looked, how unaware she was of the world and what she had been.

After a few minutes, he turned and lowered himself onto the grass and laid his head against the white paneling of the house. He would stay here for a few hours, try to keep himself awake, as Caroline slept the night away. He took a deep breath, his hand reaching up and playing with the many necklaces that were draped around his neck. His thoughts flew over the next hour from his past, to his present, and then finally landing on his inevitable future. He closed his eyes and, for once, imagined the possibility of a human life, one that would hopefully involve her. He smiled slightly at the thought. Although he was planning on approaching the Bennett witch soon to try and force her to spell him back into his vampire state, he didn't seem any harm in his mind hopelessly wandering. He felt pressure behind his eyes, his brain signaling him to go to sleep and he did not fight it. His thoughts had dragged him into a dream where she didn't hate him and wasn't always used to distract him from her friend's silly plans.

"Don't … please …."

His eyes shot open instantly at the sound, Caroline's voice bringing out of his stupor. He sat listening to her pleas. She was groaning and her breathing was slowly increasing in pace. He took a deep breath and fought against the urge to go in and wake her or try to sooth her.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Caroline screamed then, causing Klaus to jolt up and peer into her bedroom. She was still asleep.

His hands flew to her windowsill and he was seconds away from throwing the window open, fighting with himself to simply let the dream play itself out.

He would have followed his own orders had the next few words not slipped off of her tongue.

"_Please_ … Damon …."

_._

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**Hope you guys enjoyed it!**

**Don't forget to review and give me your thoughts!**


	18. Bonds

**This chapter is a little short and I apologize in advance for that. I haven't had much time to write with the holidays and what not, but I wanted to give you guys ONE more update before Christmas. I hope you guys like it. It was one of the most difficult chapters I've had to write and you will see why. There was no beta for this chapter.**

_Bonds_

Caroline was struggling to push him away, but his body was pressed hard against hers, holding her down on the bed. He held both of her hands above her head, his fingers painfully digging into her wrists. Her breathing was out of control.

His other hand quickly snapped to her chin and held her face still, forcing her to look at him. His harsh, penetrating blue eyes locked onto hers, his pupils widening.

"Quit struggling. Stay still," Damon snarled at her, his hot breath fanning over her face. Her body stilled immediately and he smirked, tilting his head, "That's a good girl."

Terror ran through her body as she realized that she couldn't move. She tried so hard to move her body, but nothing happened. _What had he done to her?!_

Her fear grew more as she watched him let go of her hands, his hand slowly sliding down her arm and to the crook of her neck. He began tracing his fingers in a figure eight pattern across her neck. The slow movement caused her to wince from the pain that shot through her body at his touch.

"Oh, don't pretend you don't like it," Damon's eyebrows flicked upwards as he spoke. "Isn't this what you wanted? Your own little _vampire_love story."

Caroline whimpered without saying anything. She didn't understand what he was talking about and the fear was clouding all of her senses. His body was so heavy on top of hers that she was finding it harder and harder to breathe, let alone speak.

She then watched in horror, her eyes widening in fear, as his face transformed into that of some grotesque monster, veins spreading out over his face and darkness overcoming his eyes. He opened his mouth to reveal two sharp pointed fangs slowly protruding out from his gums. He cackled at the sight of her terrorized face before lunging forward, sinking his teeth into her skin.

Caroline screamed in agony as he tore into her already sore neck. His hand roughly reached around and grabbed a handful of her hair, aggressively pulling her head more to the side as his teeth sunk deeper into her pale flesh. He growled into her neck as he drank from her, her blood pouring out onto the white sheets.

The pain slowly began to fade as her eyes began fluttering shut.

"Please .. stop. Please stop hurting me," she whispered into the darkness. But she knew no one was going to show up, no white knight was going to burst through her bedroom door and save her from this torture. No one cared enough. Oh how she wished someone did ...

Suddenly, the pressure on her neck stopped and she closed her eyes tight, thankful that he wasn't going to kill her. She tried not to think about what would come next, what else he would make her do to him, for him. She was terrified.

A voice in the dark called out to her, drawing her from her thoughts, "Caroline … "

She opened her eyes slowly at the sound, blinking a few times as the face before her began to come into focus. A different pair of blue eyes were staring back at her, a pair of eyes that were soft and warm. Very much unlike Damon's hard diamond eyes that had sent shivers down her spine.

"Caroline .. love … you need to wake up," The man above her beckoned her, pleading.

Caroline sent out a whimper before closing her eyes, darkness consuming her. One word made it's way past her lips as she faded away, "Nik …"

* * *

Klaus hovered over her body, his hands softly clutching the sides of her shoulders. He wanted desperately to shake her awake, to bring her out of the darkness that was overtaking her mind. But he held himself back for fear of frightening her when she awoke. He brought his hands away and placed them in his lap, waiting.

There was a pinch in his chest as he sat on the side of her bed, unable to help her as she struggled, her body twitching slightly. He needed to know she was okay. He needed to know why she was dreaming about Damon. He needed to know why she had whispered his own name in the middle of her nightmare.

He was caught off guard when her eyes suddenly shot open, a scream breaking it's way past her chapped lips as she threw herself up into a sitting position. For a moment, Klaus' world froze. He didn't move, he didn't breath, he didn't do anything but stare at her. Her eyes were wide and unmoving as her breathing was coming and going erratically. It was if he was invisible to her.

After some more painful silent moments, Klaus slowly moved his head down to protrude into Caroline's line of sight. His eyes locked in on hers and he swore he could see the depths of her soul in this single moment.

She stared back at him, her breathing finally returning to normal and the lines on her forehead smoothing out. Her lips spread apart and her eyes blinked, for the first time since she awoke from her stupor, as she took a deep breath and spoke.

"Nik …"

Klaus gulped quickly and quietly, assessing this moment, unsure what to do next or what to say. Her eyes were switching back and forth between his, searching for something. Answers, maybe? He was dumbfounded.

"Yes, sweetheart … it's me," He softly answered. He was absolutely bewildered at her current calm state, how she had gone from a hundred miles an hour, screaming for help, to sitting still, her eyes glued to his.

"You're here …" She exhaled, her eyes falling heavy and casting away from his, a tear falling from her eye and soaking into the bed comforter. He felt a foreign shiver run through his body from the tone of her voice. He was beginning to paint a solid picture in his head of her dream and it terrified him.

Before he could stop himself, his hand was cupping the side of her face. She leaned her cheek into his palm, her eyes flickering wildly behind her lids and her body tense. He slowly ran his thumb over her cheek, wiping away the the remains of the only tear she had let escape. He was amazed at how strong she was as a human, how brave she could be. He marvelled at her. He took a slow breath before he pressed the hand at her cheek softly, slowly turning her face to meet his again. She didn't open her eyes to look at him.

"Caroline," He asked smoothly, running his tongue over his top lip nervously. He knew she probably didn't want to talk about, that she was trying to forget about her dream and push it away. But he was selfish, he needed to know.

"Tell me what happened."

* * *

Stefan stood outside of the door to her bedroom, his eyes cast to the floor as he listened to their exchange. When he had heard her scream, he had been startled awake. He quickly had made his way to her room only stopping once he heard Klaus' voice. _What was Klaus doing here? What was he doing to her?_

He was about to burst through the door when he heard Klaus talking softly to her, beckoning her to wake. It clicked then as to why she had been screaming. Klaus wasn't hurting her. She had been dreaming again … another nightmare.

Stefan stood and listened to their exchange. Caroline then woke up with a scream and he had fought against everything in him to not bust the door down and go to her. But, for reasons he couldn't place, he held himself back. There was a deathly silence in the room that worried him and as his hand reached for the doorknob, he finally heard Caroline speak.

"Nik …"

He shot his head up, his brow furrowed and hand clutching the doorknob. _What did she call him?_

His mind began racing immediately, his attention away from their conversation, as he began putting some pieces together.

* * *

Klaus' teeth clenched tightly together as he listened to Caroline explain her dream, her voice breaking as she described her fear and the pain she felt. She had moved his hand from her cheek to her lap, slowly drawing figure eights on his palm throughout her explanation. He sat listening, not saying a word, his mind racing.

No one had ever mentioned this to him. He had never known. If he had, he most definitely would have killed Damon a long time ago. He had always come close to doing it, but something or someone had always pulled him back each time. He then cursed himself immediately when he remembered when he had even saved Damon's life with his own blood. He felt sick at the thought.

How could anyone let Damon get away with something like this? How did they tolerate his presence after what he did to her? The image of Damon's face made him sick now and he had rarely spent any time with him. His heart fell at the thought of Caroline being forced to befriend him, forced to throw his past under a rug to please her selfish friends every day.

Bile rose up in his throat as struggled to contain the anger that coursed through him.

Being a werewolf had it's benefits, he would not deny it. But this anger? He was fighting to keep it under control. It coursed through him and threatened to break through, sending him in a fit of rage. He bit the tip of his tongue, forcing his breathing to steady as he watched the pale and fragile girl in front of him wilter from her own words.

"And then .. you became Damon …" She hesitantly spoke, her eyes flickering up to meet his. His brow furrowed slightly, a hint of horror crossing over his eyes and touch of hurt fluttering in his chest. _He had what?_

She continued, "I was laying there, crying, feeling the life drain out of me …"

Klaus didn't understand.

"And I closed my eyes, wishing someone would save me. You know, be there for me." She bit her lower lip. "And then, suddenly, your voice was all I heard and all the pain just went away …"

She let go of his hand and reached up to tuck a strand of hair that had fallen out of her bun and onto her face. Klaus' heart began speeding in his chest, against his will, and he found his palm begin to shake as she clutched it softly now.

"You were there for me then and you are here for me now .."

Klaus could have sworn he saw a smile in her eyes, a glint of happiness that he had been the one to be there for her and it honestly confused him to his core. In this moment, she looked at peace and, oddly enough, he was the one who had made her feel that way. He squeezed her hand gently, knowing what he had to do, knowing that he had to leave her.

His voice was sweet and soft as he slowly eased his hand out of her embrace, "You should try and go back to sleep, love, and I should go."

Caroline's mouth fell open as if she was going to respond, but instead a yawn squeezed its way out of her mouth. She found herself extremely tired and Klaus watched as she lowered herself onto the bed, shuffling herself around until she was comfortable. He was surprised at how she didn't retaliate or say anything back at him. He had expected something like that from her in this moment. But nothing.

He stood up from the bed and looked down at her. Although her eyes were heavy, she held his gaze firmly. She whispered softly to him.

"I wish you would stay with me."

Klaus' lips tilted up slightly in the corner of his mouth at her words. His mind was bewildered at the concept of her feeling safe with him, of her craving his company. None of it made sense.

His mind wandered again and he thought this must all be too good to be true. Knowing his luck, he probably was just desiccated and laying in a coffin somewhere dreaming this entire mess up. It made the most sense. There was no way Caroline would want anything to do with him if she knew who he really was. Klaus walked over and traced a finger down her cheek.

"Go to sleep, my sweet Caroline." His voice was smooth as silk and soon her eyes were closed and her breathing deep. She appeared to be at peace and, although he wanted to stay with her until she asked him to leave, he knew he had something to do. Someone to he had to rid the world of.

"Time to go pay a visit to my least favorite Salvatore," Klaus whispered to himself as he turned around and reached for the door knob, twisting it and slowly opening the door to her hallway. He halted quickly, his eyes widened at the person blocking his view. Stefan was standing in front of him with arms crossed.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that … _Nik._"

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**Hope you guys liked it. Like I said, sorry it was so short and sorry for the lack of a beta. Leave a review if you want and I'll be updating again sometime after Christmas. Happy Holidays everyone! **

**If you want to know what song I listened to while writing this ... click this link: **** /cuhyyw6 It takes you to one of my mixes. It's a good listen.**  


**Also, if you aren't on tumblr already, shoot me a follow: **sweetklausoline


	19. Gonna Update Soon

Hey everyone.

I've been getting lots of messages about updating.

I'm going to try within the next week to get the chapter up and going.

I have 600 words down already and a completed outline.

Just need to get some motivation/inspiration to finish writing it.

For those of you who don't know, I recently found out I'm pregnant (I'm going on 10 weeks).

So on top of lacking motivation, I'm struggling with fatigue and morning sickness as well as the trials of taking care of a toddler.

I promise to try mid next week to update and I promise it will be a lengthy update.

Just bear with me a little longer?

Thanks for sticking with me this long.

3


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